US condemns Israel’s Jordan Valley land expropriation
Source: Times of Israel
Government declares 370 acres near West Bank settlement south of Jericho as state land, in largest such appropriation since 2014
Washington on Wednesday condemned a planned Israeli move to appropriate West Bank land near Jericho, saying the action called into question Jerusalems commitment to a two-state solution with the Palestinians.
The Defense Ministry said earlier in the day that officials approved the expropriation of some 370 acres West Bank agricultural land near the Palestinian city of Jericho, the largest such move since August 2014.
We strongly oppose any steps that could accelerate settlement expansion and we believe theyre fundamentally incompatible with a two-state solution and call into question frankly the Israeli governments commitment to a two-state solution, State Department spokesman Mark Toner said.
The area, part of which has been worked in recent years by Israeli farmers, is situated north of the West Bank settlement of Almog, in the Jordan Valley, according to an Army Radio report on Tuesday.
Read more: http://www.timesofisrael.com/us-condemns-israels-planned-jordan-valley-land-appropriation/