Israeli land grabs spike in West Bank amid Gaza crisis

JIFTLIK: While feeding his sheep pricey fodder, Palestinian farmer Talib Edais wistfully glanced at the hills where his herd used to graze for free. This was up until an Israeli decision, last month.

“Do you see these troughs? We had to sell some sheep to feed the others. Within a year, we will not have any sheep left,” the 65-year-old told journalists at his farm, in the village of Jiftlik, near the Jordan Valley in the occupied West Bank.

Israeli authorities declared 8,000 dunams (800 hectares), as state land in March.