Israels 1,000-acre land grab in West Bank comes under fire from U.N., local farmers

A Palestinian flag on the West Bank, while Israeli settlements can be seen in the background.

(CNN) Israel came under fire Monday for claiming close to 1,000 acres of land in the Palestinian West Bank.

Israel announced Sunday that the land in and around the Wadi Fukin valley, would become state land, clearing the way for the development of a new Israeli settlement. The affected land lies near Bethlehem and close to Bitar Ilit one of the biggest Israeli settlements in the West Bank.

Farmers in the area have 45 days to appeal Israels decision to claim the land.

The seizure of such a large swathe of land risks paving the way for further settlement activity, which as the United Nations has reiterated on many occasions is illegal under international law and runs totally counter to the pursuit of a two-state solution, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in a statement Monday.

British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond issued a similar statement, criticizing the move.

This is a particularly ill-judged decision that comes at a time when the priority must be to build on the cease-fire in Gaza. It will do serious damage to Israels standing in the international community, he said. Our position on settlements is clear: they are illegal under international law, present an obstacle to peace and take us further away from a two state solution at a time when negotiations to achieve this objective urgently need to be resumed.

Hammond said efforts should be focused on securing a durable cease-fire in Gaza and lasting peace. We strongly urge the government of Israel to reverse this decision, he said.

Teens abduction

Israeli officials told CNN the expropriation was linked to the kidnapping and murder of three Israeli teenagers who disappeared from the West Bank settlement of Gush Etzion in June. Tensions between Israel and Hamas ratcheted up after the teens bodies were found June 30.

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Israels 1,000-acre land grab in West Bank comes under fire from U.N., local farmers