Israel announced on Sunday its plan to expropriate West Bank land in what may be the biggest land appropriation in 30 years, a move that is feared to fuel tension with the Palestinians after the Gaza conflict.

The announcement stated Israel's claim to 400 hectares of land in the Etzion Jewish settlement called Gevaot, located south of Bethlehem, after Israel established that Palestine had a weak claim over the land.

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Israel's military officers already posted signs saying "State Land - No Trespassing" in the surrounding land area.

The Sunday announcement provided no reason for the claim, but according to Israel Radio, the move was in response to the abduction and slaying of three Jewish teens in the region in June.

Peace Now, a non-governmental activist group which promoted a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict, said the expropriation was done to make a permanent settlement for 10 Jewish families who are now living next to a Jewish seminary.

Since 2000, Israel has debated the construction of a settlement in the area. In 2013, the Israeli government initiated bidding for the erection of about 1,000 houses in the location.

Israel's land appropriation in the West Bank is said to be the largest claim by the country since the 1980's. Anyone with ownership claims have to appeal within 45 days, according to Peace Now.

After the announcement, Israel has been under criticism over its land claim which international countries consider as an "illegal act" based on international laws, adding that the move will impede future peace talks with Palestinians.

In a statement released by Nabil Abu Rdainah, spokesperson for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, he urged Israel to stop the appropriation saying that the move will create more instability.

The claim "will only inflame the situation after the war in Gaza," Rdainah said.

Meanwhile, the Obama administration has rebuked Israel's announcement.

In a statement released by a Washington State Department official, it said the move was "counterproductive" to the peace talks between Israel and Palestine, adding that the decision must be "reversed."

TagsPalestine, Israel-Palestine relations, Israel, gevaot