The article refers to large tracts of land. It in fact means an area of less than one square mile of desert being reclassified as state land. That can be criticized as the type of action that makes a two state agreement more difficult. I criticize it as such. If peace talks aren't viable now, the option should be kept as open as possible.

But it is hyperbolic for two world powers to call this large tracts of land. Why the hyperbole? Other reasons.

... other news outlets this week were criticizing the EU using taxpayer funds to construct Palestinian settlements in the area of the West Bank that is supposed to be under Israeli control.

It's perfectly reasonable to criticize that action, but it's also worth noting that most of the photos of these settlements looked like a few temporary sheds and shantytown-esque structures around half an acre of shrub-like agriculture... all surrounded by a "fence" unworthy of the name.

....in order to cover for your own state's degeneracy.

What do you think Israel's neighbors in that part of the mideast have been doing the past 65 years? That's how those totalitarian shit holes have survived to this day. When things get bad, create a crisis and blame the Jews. Hamas goes to war with Israel every few years whenever the Palestinian people start to see Hamas for the evil scumbags they are.

Europe isn't even pretending anymore that it's any different than it was 75 years ago when Europe's Jewish population was almost completely annihilated.