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The land is located in the fertile Jordan Valley and is of interest to Jewish farmers. Israel's actions show that it does not intend to abandon the construction of settlements in the West Bank.
Israel occupied the West Bank in 1967. The Palestinians believe that it is their territory, believing it to be part of a future Palestinian state. The presence of Jewish settlements makes the formation of such a state impossible.
The only possible result of this policy's continuation is to turn the Palestinian territories into something like the Bantustans in South Africa, before the abolition of the apartheid regime. There also, the best plots of land were allocated to white settlers, while the worst were given to local people to manage under their own administration. The population Bantustans were not formally considered citizens of the SAR, and Palestinian Arabs are not considered citizens of Israel.
Israel's decision is sharply criticized even the United States, a traditional ally of the Middle Eastern country. State Department spokesman John Kirby said the United States opposed the construction of settlements. Nevertheless, the powerful Jewish lobby keeps the US from taking a firmer position. But relations with the EU on the issue of settlements have deteriorated. On January 18th, the EU re-introduced special labeling for Israeli goods produced in the occupied territories.
Israel's decision to grab a piece of Palestinian land will lead to an intensification of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that will be used by Israel to justify further anti-Palestinian actions. In the context of international pressure, the government will continue to tighten laws against leftist and liberal non-governmental organizations financed from abroad.
