LONDON: Israeli authorities declared 2,536,440 sq. meters of land in the environs of Ramallah, the administrative capital of the Palestinian Authority, as “state property,” effectively placing it under the administration of Israel’s property custodian.

The Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission said on Wednesday that Israeli authorities gave a period of 45 days to liaise with the “Objections Committee” at Ofer military camp to contest the decision, according to the Palestine News Agency.

The land is part of the Palestinian villages of Beitillu, Al-Mazra’a Al-Qibliya and Deir Ammar, northwest of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank.

The commission warned that the designation would pave the way for further expansion of the Talmonim bloc, which includes the nearby settlements of Kerem Reim, Neria and Nahliel, and their extension toward the Talmon and Dolev outposts.

The commission highlighted the urgent need for legal action to protect Palestinian villagers’ rights by gathering proof of ownership, agricultural-use records and verifying land boundaries with local councils to counter the Israeli land grab, the report added.

Many members of the UN have long condemned Israeli settlement building and expansion in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. They are widely considered to be illegal under international law.

Israel occupied the West Bank and East Jerusalem in June 1967, and has since maintained a military-run regime over Palestinian security and civilian matters.