WhatsappAnti-Israel propaganda is at an all-time high, and since it is working, why not spread more lies - at least that appears to be what the strategy is. The latest claim is that “Israeli Settlers” have illegally seized land in the Mount Hebron region at three different points. I can say with firsthand knowledge that, while yes, it is true, more than three new locations have been given permits for Jews to develop and live in, they were not done by illegally seizing Arab land. None of the land was stolen. It was done with complete cooperation from the Israeli government and legal authorities. Let’s take a closer look.
Below is the map of the three locations (at least I believe these are the ones being referred to by leftwing NGOs).
Before delving into each of these communities, let’s understand how land rights and appropriation work in Judea and Samaria - Israel’s heartland. Israel liberated Judea and Samaria after winning the Six-Day War in 1967 and placed a military occupation on all of Judea and Samaria.
Once it became clear that the Arab states were not interested in signing a peace treaty, Israel’s government began to identify areas of Judea and Samaria that were not owned by Arabs, either absentee or still living in Judea and Samaria. Land that was clearly not owned by Arabs or others was deemed State Land. Land that was clearly owned by either Arabs or others still living in Judea and Samaria at the conclusion of the war or those who were absent, but retained a connection was deemed Private Land. A third category is what is called in Hebrew Admat Seker or non-delineated land. This is land in Judea and Samaria that is under investigation as to its status. Most of the time there are no owners, but before deeming something State Land and therefore permitted for development, a thorough check is done.
Another way Admat Seker flips over to private land, either Arab or Jewish, is if it is worked or dwelled upon for a certain number of years. If this can be proven, then the land turns into privately owned land.
The initial Jewish communities built in Judea and Samaria after the Six-Day war were built with government approval and on State Land. In fact, nearly all of the Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria have been built on State Land. Even many of the so-called illegal “Hilltop Settlements” are built on State Land, but merely lacked some of the stages in the approval process.
After the Oslo Accords were signed in 1993, Judea and Samaria was broken up into three areas. Area A is under full Palestinian Authority Civil and Security control. Area B is under Palestinian Authority Civil control, but under full Israeli Security control. Area C is under full Israeli Civil and Security control.
All of Israel’s Jewish communities, called settlements by the international community and media, have been established in Area C, which makes up about 60% of Judea and Samaria.
With the background out of the way, let’s discuss some of the newest communities that have international leftwing NGOs screaming about “illegal land grabs” carried out by “Israeli zealots”.
This is the following headline in the Turkey-based Andalou Agency:
The claim in the article is that “Illegal Israeli Settlers” seized 6,400 dunams (1/4 of an acre) of land in the Hebron area. Let’s see if this is true.
The first community is a hillside within the legal boundaries of Pnei Hever. It is being called Mitzpe Eyal. There are now ten trailers on top of an empty hillside overlooking Pnei Hever. Not only is this legal, but it was put together with the blessing of Israel’s government. Zero private land belonging to Arabs was appropriated for this. There are clear maps showing the boundary of Pnei Hever and Mitzpe Eyal is clearly within it.
That means that no dunams were seized. The hillside was empty, and not only is it State Land, but as I explained above, within the boundaries of Pnei Hever, making the dunams already accounted for.
The next community recently established is Mitzpe Ziv. This community is the location where two IDF soldiers were killed during the Second Intifada more than 20 years ago. Situated a few hills south of Pnei Hever, this hillside became a place of prayer on Friday mornings in memory of the young soldiers. Although it is built on what was considered Admat Seker, after years of research into any previous owners, as well as a continuous synagogue on the spot, the government approved its recategorization as State Land. The above article claims that it is stealing land from an Arab community called Birin as if the said community is some sort of established community. Those of us who have gone through it (by foot) know it is a mere five to ten houses belonging to Arabs mostly from Jordan and others that came there between 1948 and 1967 – not an ancient community that leftwing activists and propaganda spreaders will have you believe.
The last community is known as Hills 1,2, and 3 and is within the municipal boundaries of Kiryat Arba. While it is true that Kiryat Arba has only now established a farm and living areas in this area, it does not take away from the fact that it is legally not owned by Arabs in the area. In fact, there have been plenty of illegal Arab buildings established on the land. One of them came from Jerusalem to squat on land that is not theirs.
Not only are these hills within the jurisdiction of Kiryat Arba, but there are Bar Kochba caves and Jewish wine presses dating back nearly 2,000 years on the hillside. Once again, no new dunams have been appropriated, and this community, like the others, is authorized by all the proper government agencies.
The war against these Jewish communities in southern Judea is a microcosm of the pro-Arab, Qatari-funded, and left-wing-backed propaganda that is being driven daily around the world in an attempt to delegitimize Israel and the Jewish connection to the entirety of the Land of Israel. This is a concerted effort to swing public opinion against Israel, backed by Israel’s enemies, using Palestinianism as the driving narrative - a philosophy of historical erasure and a modern-day replacement theology that seeks to nullify the Jewish people’s millennia-long connection with the Land of Israel and replace it with a culture that only exists to destroy Israel.
