Israel 'annexes' West Bank areas

Israel has annexed thousands of hectares of West Bank land beside the barrier it is building, according to an Israeli rights group.

B'Tselem says the land has been taken with the justification that it is needed to protect Israeli settlements.

The group says some settlements have seized up to two and a half times more land than they have been designated by fencing it off or through intimidation.

Under international law the settlements in the West Bank are illegal.

This is disputed by Israel, which has settled about 450,000 people in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.

Israel argues that its West Bank barrier is a security measure intended to stop suicide bombers, though Palestinians see the barrier as a means to grab land.

The International Court of Justice issued an advisory ruling in 2004 that the barrier breached international law where it is built on occupied territory and should be dismantled.

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