An Israeli NGO published a report on Wednesday revealing that half of the lands confiscated for "public purposes" by Israeli authorities in the occupied West Bank are used by settlers.

According to the report by two Israeli organizations, Kerem Navot and Haqel, the Palestinian lands in the West Bank were predominantly confiscated by Israeli authorities for public projects such as roads, but much of the seized land was eventually confined for use by settlers only, including four settlements and infrastructure serving them.

Israel's Supreme Court had previously ruled that it was only legal to confiscate land for public purposes if it serves both the settler and the Palestinian population in the occupied West Bank. Yet the report shows that half of the lands are earmarked for exclusive use by settlers, just 2 percent for Palestinian use only, and the rest for use by both groups.

The report shows that since Israel's occupation of the West Bank began and up to 2022, the authorities have issued 313 orders to confiscate lands for public purposes, covering an area of approximately 74,000 dunams.

The research also identified a correlation between the number of land confiscation orders and the increase in settlement construction. Most of the orders were issued between 1977 and 1984, constituting 56 percent (179 in total) of all the expropriation orders for public purposes. During that period, 70 settlements were constructed, as well as infrastructure to serve them.