Gaza, Alray - A settlement activity observer commenting on Israeli legal advisor's talk about Absentee Property Law that it includes the Palestinians' property in East Jerusalem said Monday in a report "Israel is on the way to practicing the greatest plunder of all time,"

The observer warned against Israel taking over dozens of properties in the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem under 'Absentee Property Law'.

The Israeli authorities had issued in 1950 the Absentee Property Law which legitimized the confiscation of the property of Palestinians displaced from their cities and villages in 1948 and now residents of (Israel)'s neighboring countries, whereby thousands of Palestinians' properties were confiscated.

The report said "the Absentee Property Law underwent several amendments to annex the maximum area of land for the benefit of the settlement expansion project in the occupied territories; the last of which was in 2004, when Israeli government issued an amendment allowing the settlers placed in the properties of the absent Palestinians to dispose such real estate by selling them to so-called Israeli 'Development Authority' that falls under 'Israel lands Department' to appropriate them for companies like 'Amidar'" and 'Hmenota' which in turn use them for settlement building and expansion especially in East Jerusalem,"

Putting the law into force shall stand as a pretext for disposing these lands and properties in favor of settlement, where such will be transferred to the settlement construction companies in the name of 'Israeli settlers', the report indicated.

It also pointed out that "the process of land confiscation under the pretext of absentee property law is meant to be in a systematic and long timeframe, as Israeli authorities try to prolong the confiscation procedure in order not to draw attention and surprise of the Palestinian owners of the properties, and they amended the law of absentees to avoid issuing certain confiscation orders."