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Last update - 02:56 01/07/2009
PA: Israel planning to expropriate another 2% of West Bank land
By Avi Issacharoff and Amos Harel
Tags: Israel news, West Bank 

The Palestinian Authority this week accused Israel of planning to declare another 2 percent of the West Bank state land, thus effectively expropriating it.

But the defense establishment rejected this claim, saying the land in question had been under the Dead Sea until the shrinkage of that body of water uncovered it and the goal of the declaration is to prevent the land from being taken over by private or commercial entities.

It is not clear which claim is correct.
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The storm erupted after 12 Arabic-language advertisements were published in the East Jerusalem paper Al-Quds last Friday by the land registry office in the West Bank settlement of Ma'aleh Adumim. The ads stated that the Custodian of State Property had asked the registry to register additional lands as state lands, and requested anyone who claimed ownership of these lands to present their claims to the Civil Administration in the West Bank within 45 days.

Each advertisement dealt with a different plot of land, detailing its borders and giving map references. Altogether, the land in question totals some 138,500 dunams (about 34,600 acres).

The ads aroused furious reactions in the PA, which described the move as annexation.

"We denounce this," chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said yesterday. "This attests to what is happening on the ground in practice: more land expropriations."

"How," he added, "can Defense Minister Ehud Barak vow that Israel has no intention of expropriating land when Israel openly states its intent to declare lands amounting to almost 2 percent of the West Bank as state lands?"

Erekat said he has brought the Israeli decision to the attention of the United States, the European Union, Russia and other countries.

While the purpose of the move is not yet completely clear, Erekat continued, "It will presumably, as always, begin with the expansion of a military base and then [end with the expansion of] some settlement or another. That is what they've done since 1967."

Israeli defense sources rejected these claims. They said all the land in question abuts the Dead Sea and was once covered by it, but has been exposed by the sea's steady shrinkage over the years.

Israel wants these areas declared state land in order to prevent private or commercial bodies from taking them over, the sources said.
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  1.   Should be crystal clear by now what Israel,s true 03:20  |  Zero tolerance. 01/07/09
  2.   Palestinia Land. 03:32  |  Joe Kelsall 01/07/09
  3.   2% of the westbank exposed due to sea level shrinkage.. 03:35  |  LIARS 01/07/09
  4.   An occupying power can not "own" state land 03:46  |  Johnboy 01/07/09
  5.   So Who Does Own The Great Dead Sea Salt Flats? 03:52  |  Jeff Northridge 01/07/09
  6.   Stop terror, stop expropiation, stop incitement, stop settlements 05:03  |  Fortuna Benmayor 01/07/09
  7.   Only 2%. That`s surprising... 05:25  |  MM 01/07/09
  8.   oh my God.... 06:05  |  edgar 01/07/09
  9.   The historical and political truth about our rights and ... 08:05  |  Lane 01/07/09
  10.   Israel has no right to unilaterally make this decision 08:30  |  Gray 01/07/09
  11.   It is curious 08:38  |  Mark Lincoln 01/07/09
  12.   The historical and political truth about ... 09:04  |  un2here 01/07/09
  13.   #9 gray will now explain the legal bar to the idf?? 09:04  |  v hardman 01/07/09
  14.   expropriate 09:04  |  John 01/07/09
  15.   Any construction or expropriation is Obama`s opportunity to roll 09:42  |  Ivar 01/07/09
  16.   #3 Johnboy, of Australia,Occupied by Imperial Britain,used as... 09:43  |  Israeli Realist 01/07/09
  17.   How can so many people claim ownership of land 09:46  |  Esther 01/07/09
  18.   State Land 10:13  |  Iain 01/07/09
  19.   #10 I can answer that, Gray 11:06  |  Johnboy 01/07/09
  20.   Like Spandex 11:24  |  Walid 01/07/09
  21.   Dead Sea 11:25  |  Mark Turner 01/07/09
  22.   Judge Jeff--Settlements not illegal--hmm 11:41  |  Labhras 01/07/09
  23.   #9 Lane --here is the actual text.why is it different from your 11:47  |  Labhras 01/07/09
  24.   #9 Lane --here is the actual text.why is it different from your 11:47  |  Labhras 01/07/09
  25.   #13 Vhadrman aka Paul Harris---not so vicky 12:16  |  Labhras 01/07/09
  26.   #13 vhardman: Hehehe, what nonsense! 12:41  |  Gray 01/07/09
  27.   lain where`s the deed proving pals owned it? 13:04  |  petra 01/07/09
  28.   Dead Sea Land 15:55  |  Paul 01/07/09
  29.   why obama cant compromise 16:05  |  dave duncan 01/07/09
  30.   Are you serious? 16:09  |  h 01/07/09
  31.   Fishy 16:45  |  Liat 01/07/09
  32.   A thinking man`s incentive ... 17:11  |  Jasper 01/07/09
  33.   #27 petra 18:05  |  Space 01/07/09
  34.   grap and greed occupation policy 19:03  |  Tony Silver 01/07/09
  35.   "West Bank Land" ??? or Israel in fact 19:29  |  Chaim Ben Kahan 01/07/09
  36.   What makes it "Palestinan land"? 19:34  |  RfaelMoshe 01/07/09
  37.   Israels deed 21:18  |  Iain 01/07/09
  38.   What makes it Israeli land? 21:32  |  Basil 01/07/09
  39.   palestinian oportunism to try get Israeli land 22:14  |  zionist forever 01/07/09
  40.   Claim yours now! 22:33  |  Rickshaw 01/07/09
  41.   expropriate? 22:40  |  steve 01/07/09
  42.   You Mean Samaria which is Jewish? 23:18  |  Elazar 01/07/09
  43.   Give it to the Pals... 23:40  |  Jasper 01/07/09
  44.   # 30 rfaelmoshe 23:57  |  Axel 01/07/09
  45.   israel plannig to expropriate.... 01:59  |  shimshon kinory 02/07/09
  46.   Goldilocks and the Three Bears. 02:01  |  Iain 02/07/09
  47.   #34 Steve piles it on, nice `n` thick. 04:10  |  Johnboy 02/07/09
  48.   Israel should simply walk away 04:14  |  Tao 02/07/09
  49.   It is Israeli because... 06:27  |  x-ray 02/07/09
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