View of the town of Anata.
‘Israel’ seizes over 5,800 dunams of land near jerusalem
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The Israeli occupation authorities have issued a military order to seize 5,856 dunams (approximately 1,447 acres) of land belonging to the town of Anata, northeast of Jerusalem.
The announcement was made by the Jerusalem Governorate in an official statement.
Land Designated for Military Purposes
The governorate said that the seizure document indicates the land is being taken for "military purposes" for the ‘Israeli’ army.
This move further restricts the residents of Anata, limiting their ability to use their land for either residential or agricultural purposes.
Context of Ongoing Land Appropriation
The order targeting Anata is the latest development in a long-standing pattern of land appropriation in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.
Human rights organizations note that declaring land for "military needs" or "state land" has been a consistent method to transfer Palestinian-owned territory to ‘Israeli’ control, often facilitating the expansion of illegal ‘Israeli’ settlements.
Anata, in particular, has been severely affected by ‘Israeli’ policies. Reports indicate that the town's original land area of about 34,000 dunams has been drastically reduced over the years due to seizures, including those for the construction of the separation wall and related infrastructure for nearby settlements, such as Ma'ale Adumim.
Palestinian officials emphasize that these policies are designed to deny Palestinians the right to self-determination and undermine the territorial contiguity necessary for a future Palestinian state.
The frequent seizure of land for military or other purposes severely constricts the space available for Palestinians to build, farm, and sustain their livelihoods, creating a coercive environment designed to restrict Palestinian growth around Jerusalem.
