DaysofPal – Israeli occupation authorities have approved the seizure of approximately 6,000 dunums of Palestinian land to facilitate a major settlement expansion southeast of the Tekoa settlement, according to the Applied Research Institute—Jerusalem (ARIJ).
In a statement issued Thursday, ARIJ said the plan was approved on July 20 by the Gush Etzion Regional Council in coordination with Tekoa and the settler organization Amana.
The project targets land belonging to the Palestinian town of Tuqu’, southeast of Bethlehem.
According to the institute, the proposed development includes residential housing, tourism facilities, commercial areas, agricultural land, road infrastructure, and designated open spaces. The targeted area lies between Tuqu’ and the village of Al-Minya, extending into land designated by Israel as a nature reserve east of Bethlehem.
ARIJ warned that the plan is intended to expand the Tekoa settlement southward through the appropriation of Palestinian land, further restricting Palestinian urban growth.
The institute added that the expansion could create territorial continuity between several nearby settlements and outposts, including Ma’ale Amos, Ibei HaNahal, Nokdim, and El David, effectively forming a settlement belt under the Gush Etzion Regional Council.
ARIJ also noted that council head Aron Rosenthal has publicly backed the initiative, describing it as a strategic step to strengthen development in eastern Gush Etzion and ensure the long-term expansion of Israeli settlements through continued construction.
According to the institute’s analysis, approximately 28.2% of the targeted land, or about 1,640 dunums of the 5,822 dunums included in the plan, is classified by Israel as “state land” under Military Order No. 59 of 1967.
However, ARIJ said the project extends beyond those areas to include additional Palestinian land, warning that it would impose a new settlement reality regardless of existing legal classifications.
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