Israel confirmed on Thursday it was planning to appropriate a large tract of fertile land in the West Bank, close to Jordan, a move likely to exacerbate tensions with Western allies and already drawing international condemnation.
In an email sent to Reuters, COGAT, a unit of the Defence Ministry, said the political decision to seize the territory had been taken and "the lands are in the final stages of being declared state lands."
The appropriation, first reported by Army Radio, covers 154 hectares (380 acres) in the Jordan Valley close to Jericho, an area where Israel already has many settlement farms built on land Palestinians seek for a state.
The land, already partly farmed by Jewish settlers from Vered Yeriho in an area under Israeli civilian and military control, is situated near the northern tip of the Dead Sea. No Palestinians currently live there in the area, which is north of Kibbutz Almog.
ynetnews
Israël bevestigt annexatie op Jordaanoever
Weer heibel over 150 hectare landbouwgrond
