Israel will annex swathes of Palestinian land near Nablus in the occupied West Bank for the expansion of an illegal Israeli settlement, The New Arab reported.

Ghassan Daghlas, who monitors settlement activities in the northern West Bank, said that an Israeli military order strips three Palestinian villages of around 616 dunams (152 acres) of land so the Eli settlement can be expanded.

The impacted villages are Qaryout, As-Sawiya and Al-Lubban Ash-Sharqiya, according to the official Palestinian news agency Wafa.

It comes as Nablus and surrounding areas came under a three-week Israeli blockade.

Eli settlement began as several mobile homes placed on a hillside back in 1984 but has since absorbed more Palestinian land making it one of the biggest West Bank settlements.

(The New Arab, PC, SOCIAL)