Israel soon may give 7.7 square miles of land in the West Bank that it has controlled since the signing of the 1993 Oslo Accords to the Palestinian Authority for farming.
The property is in Area C, and it’s hoped the transfer won’t take more than 90 days, United Press International reported.
The deal was forged by officials from the United States and by USAID members and now needs the final stamp of approval from the Israel Defense Ministry.
“We are interested in expanding the Palestinians’ economic options in Area C,” said one U.S. official in the UPI report.
The transfer of property, which isn’t near any Israeli settlements, is expected to bolster Palestinian revenues by about $800 million.
Area C spans about 60 percent of the West Bank.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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