Israel declared a large section of the West Bank as “state lands” on Sunday, in a move that caused outrage among Palestinian authorities. The Los Angeles Times, citing local media sources, reported that the Israeli government took over 990 acres in the Palestinian territory south of Bethlehem. This declaration is the largest since 1980, according to antisettlement group Peace Now, which said it would have a significant impact on the region. Peace Now’s Yariv Oppenheimer wrote in a Facebook post that the appropriation of land was a “stab in the back” to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.