January 7, 2025: Minister Mu’ayyad Sha’ban, Head of the Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission, announced that Israeli occupation authorities have appropriated 694 dunums of private Palestinian land in the towns of Kafr Thulth, Deir Istiya, and Bidya in the Qalqilya and Salfit governorates, under the pretext of designating them as "State Land."
Mr. Sha’ban stated that this declaration, issued by the so-called "Commissioner of Government and Absentee Property", marks a dangerous escalation in land seizure policies. He described it as part of a systematic approach aimed at re-engineering Palestinian geography by force, utilizing colonial legal tools to legitimize the theft.
Mr. Sha’ban explained that the military order confiscating these 694 dunums is directly linked to an occupation plan to establish a new settler-colonial bloc named "Dorot" east of Qalqilya, south of the Karnei Shomron colony.
He added that this declaration relies on a system of unilateral military orders and administrative procedures that completely disregard Palestinian property rights and flagrantly violate International Humanitarian Law, particularly the Fourth Geneva Convention, which prohibits an occupying power from confiscating land or altering its legal character.
Mr. Sha’ban argued that "State Land" declarations are not merely technical or administrative measures; rather, they serve as a central instrument of the Israeli colonial project. This tool is weaponized to strip away Palestinian ownership and prepare the ground for future settlement expansion, functioning as a mechanism for the creeping annexation of Palestinian territory.
Mr. Sha’ban also emphasized the critical timing of this move, noting that it coincides with a convergence of legislation, master plans, confiscation orders, and colonial tenders. Together, these elements form an integrated system designed to impose irreversible facts on the ground, effectively transforming the occupation from a temporary status into a permanent regime of forced sovereignty.
Mr. Sha’ban stressed that the Colonization and Wall Resistance is closely monitoring this declaration on both legal and field levels and added that the commission is committed to supporting the affected landowners, pursuing all possible legal avenues to thwart these plans while simultaneously exposing these policies to the international community and relevant UN bodies.
To conclude, Mr. Sha’ban reaffirmed that Palestinian land is not the subject of an administrative dispute, but represents the inherent right of a people under occupation. He warned that attempts to legitimize confiscation through military orders will not alter the reality that these actions constitute organized settler-colonialism, demanding a responsible international stance that goes beyond silence and verbal condemnation.