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HEBRON (Ma'an) -- Israeli authorities have ruled to confiscate 244 dunams of land from the villages of Surif and al-Jabaa in the northern Hebron district, local officials told Ma'an Thursday.

The mayor of Surif, Muhammad Lati Ghneimat, said that the land is located in the al-Ghazal, Khillet Abu Ghneim, Deir Moussa, and Thahr al-Mansara areas in al-Jabaa village.

“There are hundreds of olive trees planted in these lands that are very old belonging to the Ghneimat, al-Hur, Hmeidat and other families,” the mayor said.

“As soon as we received the military orders from locals we informed specialized sides to legally follow-up on the case.”

Israeli authorities issued the confiscation orders on Tuesday this week.

Local officials say the confiscation of land in the villages is intended to expand the nearby Gush Etzion settlement bloc.

The northern and western entrances of al-Jabaa will be closed following the orders, preventing local farmers from accessing the agricultural lands.

On Jan. 27, an Israeli court issued an order to confiscate hundreds of dunams of land northwest of Hebron in the village of Beit Ula. The land is located in Area C, under full Israeli security and administrative control.

Last December, Israeli authorities declared a vast area of private Palestinian land in the northern Jordan Valley a closed military zone in preparation to confiscate the land, an official said.

Ribhi al-Khandaqji, the governor of the Tubas district, said in a statement that the land was located in the Ein al-Sakut area and measured about 10,000 dunams (2,500 acres).

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