Israel has declared that 400 hectares of land near Bethlehem, in the occupied West Bank are now state owned.
But, it says it's not a new settlement - as it's officially designated a neighbourhood of an existing one.
Last year the government invited bids for the building of a thousand houses on the site which is known as Gevaot.
Al Jazeera's Mike Hanna reports from the occupied West Bank.
Subscribe to our channel http://bit.ly/AJSubscribe
Follow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/AJEnglish
Find us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera
Check our website http://www.aljazeera.com/
