Israel to seize Palestinian land south of Bethlehem

Israeli authorities notified a Palestinian of a decision to seize her land in al-Khader, a town in south of Bethlehem, a local activist said Tuesday. Ahmad Salah, coordinator of the popular committee against settlements in al-Khader, said Israeli soldiers left the seizure notice on the land belonging to Rana Tabileh. A farmer found the notice by accident. Salah said the notice regarding the five-dunum plot also ordered the landowners to remove a fence built around the land within 45 days. Tabileh will be forced to pay costs for the evacuation of the land if it failed to do it herself before the set deadline, added Salah. He said if the land is seized, Palestinian farmers will not be able to reach their property located in the same area, which is a part of an Israeli scheme to seize Palestinian land to link settlements in the vicinity of Bethlehem.