An anti-settlement watchdog says Israel has approved the largest seizure of land in the occupied West Bank in over three decades.

Peace Now said Wednesday that authorities recently approved the appropriation of 12.7 square km (nearly 5 square miles) of land in the Jordan Valley. The group's data indicate it was the largest single appropriation approved since the 1993 Oslo accords at the start of the peace process.

The Palestinians view the expansion of settlements in the occupied West Bank as the main barrier to any lasting peace agreement and most of the international community considers them illegal or illegitimate.

Israel's government considers the West Bank to be the historical and religious heartland of the Jewish people and is opposed to Palestinian statehood.