Israel declares 182 dunams of Palestinian land near Hebron state property

HEBRON — Israeli authorities have declared 182.81 dunams of Palestinian land in villages near Hebron and Bethlehem to be "state property," according to a Palestinian body that monitors settlements and the separation wall. The declarations were reported on Monday, 19 October 2026.

The Palestinian Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission said the two notices were signed on 18 October 2026 by the official responsible for government and abandoned property in Israel's Civil Administration. The land is located in Beit Ummar, Sa'ir and Al-Shuyukh, according to the commission's statement, which was reported by the Palestine News Network (PNN).

One notice, titled "Bar Kochba," covers 64.06 dunams in Beit Ummar. The commission said the area is linked to a project previously known as "Nahal Heletz," which grew out of the "Nofei Ori" outpost. The Israeli government approved a settlement at the site in June 2024, the commission said.

The second notice, titled "Beni Kedem," covers 118.75 dunams in Sa'ir and Al-Shuyukh. The commission said the outpost had been treated as part of the Metzad/Asfar settlement before the Israeli security cabinet approved it as an independent settlement on 11 December 2025.

The commission said the declarations are part of a series of steps that reclassify land, define zones of control and provide infrastructure. It said this process turns field settlements into more established institutional control.

The Palestinian delegation said the steps continue to divide Palestinian territory and impose de facto annexation. Israeli authorities have not commented on the declarations in the sources reviewed.

A separate report by Turkish outlet haberler.com gave a figure of about 183 dunams and described the land as belonging to villages near Hebron and Bethlehem. The figures differ slightly, but both reports cite the same 182.81 dunam total.

Background

Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967. Israeli settlements in the territory are considered illegal under international law, though Israel disputes this position. Land declarations of this kind have been a common tool for settlement expansion, according to the commission.

Haberler.com said arrests, raids and attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem have increased since October 2023, when Israel launched its offensive in the Gaza Strip.