West Bank maps could show Israel expansion

Israeli authorities have been mapping and naming available land in the West Bank, possibly intending to expand settlements, anti-settlement activists said. The Civil Administration, part of Israel's Defense Ministry, released the maps in response to a Freedom of Information Law request by anti-settlement activist Dror Etkes, Haaretz reported Friday. The maps showed 569 parcels of land had been marked out corresponding with available land in the West Bank, and some were named after existing communities several miles away, including Immanuel Mizrah, Elkana Bet and Beit Aryeh. Twenty-three unauthorized outposts were built in these areas since the 1990s, some of which the Civil Administration is attempting to legalize, Haaretz said. Etkes said he believes this indicates the settlers who built these outposts had access to the maps and he says that proves the government's is violating the law in order to expand settlements. "This means the administration currently updates the 'land bank,' flouting the peace process, which is based on the two-state principle," Etkes said. The Civil Administration said the maps are updated occasionally and do not indicate a plan to expand settlements, Haaretz reported.