Israel’s Bennett Says Land Move Linked to Killing of Teenagers
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Israel’s Economy Minister Naftali Bennett said the decision to appropriate about 1,000 acres of West Bank land, criticized by Palestinians and the U.S., was a response to the abduction and killing of three Israeli teenagers in the area in June.
The Defense Ministry yesterday declared the area south of the West Bank city of Bethlehem state land, a designation that under Israeli law allows for settlement construction. The Palestinian Authority, U.S. State Department and the U.K. condemned the move as detrimental to the peace process.