Israel announced on Sunday the expropriation of about 1,000 acres of
West Bank land but not all members of the government approved the move.
The Israeli military made the announcement on Sunday in accordance with a government edict.
The announcement could help clear the way for construction of a new Jewish settlement.
The military said the directive was made at the end of a military operation in June that searched for three Israeli teens who were abducted and killed by Hamas militants.
The Hamas kidnapping and murder of the teens sparked a chain of events that led to a 50-day war in the Gaza Strip.
The expropriated land is in "Gush Etzion," an area near Jerusalem where the teens were abducted.
Israel hopes to keep the area under any future peace deal with the Palestinians.
Israeli Finance Minister, Yair Lapid said he believed the timing of the move was wrong.
"Basically we are against any swift changes within the West Bank right now, as we need to go back to some kind of process there," he said during a news conference in Jerusalem.
There was no immediate comment from the Palestinians.
The Israeli Housing Ministry said the announcement is just the first step and it will be several years before anything is built there.
The military said opponents have 45 days to appeal Sunday's decision.
Peace Now, an Israeli group that monitors settlements, said it is the biggest "land confiscation" since the 1980s.
"The decision to expand settlements and to declare lands as a state lands is a very negative one and will harm the efforts to resume negotiations to promote the peace process," said Yariv Oppenheimer, a spokesman for the group.
Also on Sunday, the Israeli finance minister said a regional conference should be held to rehabilitate Gaza while ensuring "Hamas doesn't rearm."
Hamas rejected the demand insisting it will never lay down its weapons.
Lapid made the remarks on Sunday about a week after Israel and Hamas militants reached a truce after almost two months of fighting that devastated parts of Gaza.
He said the conference should include Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Gulf countries.
Israel and Hamas agreed last Tuesday to an open-ended truce.
The cease-fire brought an immediate end to the fighting but left key disputes unresolved.
The Israeli military made the announcement on Sunday in accordance with a government edict.
The announcement could help clear the way for construction of a new Jewish settlement.
The military said the directive was made at the end of a military operation in June that searched for three Israeli teens who were abducted and killed by Hamas militants.
The Hamas kidnapping and murder of the teens sparked a chain of events that led to a 50-day war in the Gaza Strip.
The expropriated land is in "Gush Etzion," an area near Jerusalem where the teens were abducted.
Israel hopes to keep the area under any future peace deal with the Palestinians.
Israeli Finance Minister, Yair Lapid said he believed the timing of the move was wrong.
"Basically we are against any swift changes within the West Bank right now, as we need to go back to some kind of process there," he said during a news conference in Jerusalem.
There was no immediate comment from the Palestinians.
The Israeli Housing Ministry said the announcement is just the first step and it will be several years before anything is built there.
The military said opponents have 45 days to appeal Sunday's decision.
Peace Now, an Israeli group that monitors settlements, said it is the biggest "land confiscation" since the 1980s.
"The decision to expand settlements and to declare lands as a state lands is a very negative one and will harm the efforts to resume negotiations to promote the peace process," said Yariv Oppenheimer, a spokesman for the group.
Also on Sunday, the Israeli finance minister said a regional conference should be held to rehabilitate Gaza while ensuring "Hamas doesn't rearm."
Hamas rejected the demand insisting it will never lay down its weapons.
Lapid made the remarks on Sunday about a week after Israel and Hamas militants reached a truce after almost two months of fighting that devastated parts of Gaza.
He said the conference should include Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Gulf countries.
Israel and Hamas agreed last Tuesday to an open-ended truce.
The cease-fire brought an immediate end to the fighting but left key disputes unresolved.
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