Israel has declared 3,380 dunums of Palestinian land as so-called “state land” to pave the way for the construction of a new illegal settlement east of occupied Jerusalem, in a move widely seen as a further escalation of land theft and colonial expansion targeting Palestinian territory.

Far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has approved the settlement project, named Mishmar Yehuda, which is expected to include around 3,600 housing units. According to Israel’s Channel 7, the settlement will be built on vast areas of annexed Palestinian land in occupied East Jerusalem.

The channel reported that the declaration of 3,380 dunums as “state land” was carried out specifically to facilitate the construction of the settlement. Under international law, East Jerusalem is recognized as occupied territory, and all Israeli settlements built there are considered illegal.

“In February 2024, the diplomatic-security Cabinet announced the establishment of Mishmar Yehuda. Since then, all procedures for establishing the new settlement have been advancing rapidly,” Channel 7 stated. It added that a detailed urban plan for the settlement is already underway and envisions approximately 3,600 housing units.

Smotrich openly framed the project as part of Israel’s expansionist agenda, describing Mishmar Yehuda as a “planned, large, and beautiful city that would serve as a strategic anchor for protecting Jerusalem from the east.” He further stated that the settlement represents “another step in advancing de facto sovereignty in the area and halting the idea of establishing an Arab state” in the West Bank and Jerusalem.

Palestinians and human rights organizations view such statements as explicit confirmation that settlement construction is intended to permanently block the creation of a viable Palestinian state and to entrench Israel’s control over occupied land through demographic engineering and forced displacement.

The announcement comes just days after Israel’s security cabinet approved the establishment of 19 new settlements across the occupied West Bank. Among them are the settlements of Ganim and Kadim, which were dismantled in 2005 but are now set to be re-established under a proposal put forward by War Minister Yisrael Katz and Smotrich.

Settlement expansion has intensified despite widespread international condemnation and clear violations of international law, including the Fourth Geneva Convention, which prohibits an occupying power from transferring its civilian population into occupied territory.

For Palestinians, the declaration of land as “state property” is a familiar mechanism used to confiscate ancestral lands, fragment communities, and tighten Israeli control over Jerusalem and the West Bank. The latest move is seen as part of a broader policy of annexation carried out under the cover of administrative and legal measures, while Palestinians continue to face dispossession, home demolitions, and displacement.

As Israel accelerates settlement construction, Palestinians warn that such actions are systematically destroying any remaining prospects for justice, self-determination, and a future free from occupation. (ILKHA)