Israeli authorities have issued a military order to seize 30 hectares (74 acres) of Palestinian land near Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank under the pretext of expropriation for public purposes, a Palestinian official said on Tuesday, Anadolu Agency reports.
Moayad Shaaban, head of the Palestinian Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission, said the order targets land in the Jabal Al-Fureidis area near Bethlehem and is intended to facilitate the development of what Israel describes as an archaeological site.
In a statement, Shaaban said the measure was the third expropriation order issued by Israeli authorities since the beginning of 2026.
He warned that the decision forms part of a broader policy aimed at imposing legal and administrative control over Palestinian land and redirecting it to serve housing projects for occupiers.
According to Shaaban, Israeli authorities had already declared 17.1 hectares (42 acres) of land surrounding the site as state land in 2024.
