CAIRO, Mar 17 (Aswat Masriya) – Egypt condemned the latest Israeli land seizure in the occupied West Bank, deeming it both "illegal and illegitimate", the Egyptian foreign ministry's spokesperson said in a statement on Thursday.

News of the seizure of 2,342 dunams (580 acres) south of Jericho came out on Tuesday when reported by Peace Now, an Israeli peace movement supporting the two-state solution.

Egypt's foreign ministry spokesperson Ahmed Abo Zeid said that Israeli settlement measures in the Palestinian territories represent "a violation of all conventions, international norms, and bilateral agreements."

The land seizure is considered the largest since August, 2014.

Peace Now reported that the declaration of the seizure means that the land has now become government property. It further deemed the declaration a "confiscation" and claimed it is intended for the expansion of nearby settlements.

UN Secretary General Bank Ki-Moon urged Israel on Tuesday to "halt and reverse" the latest land seizure, calling it "an impediment to the two state-solution."

Last week, France's Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault pushed for restarting dialogue between Palestine and Israel during a press conference in Cairo, where he met his Egyptian counterpart.

In an effort to revive calls for the two-state solution, France aimed to rally the international community for the cause and invite the Palestinians and Israelis to talk to end what Ayrault described as a "vicious circle".

The last round of peace talks started in 2013, through an American-led initiative, but talks collapsed in April 2014, upon reaching a pre-planned deadline.     

Egypt has often been involved in talks between Israel and Palestine as a mediator. When Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi met with former French foreign minister, Laurent Fabius, in Cairo last year, he told him that "a comprehensive and permanent settlement would involve the creation of a Palestinian state with the 1967 borders, with east Jerusalem as its capital."

Egypt and Israel signed a peace treaty in 1979 after months of negotiations, ending a state of war and normalising ties. Egypt was the first Arab country to recognise Israel.

Enraged at Egypt's peace initiative with Israel, Arab states decided to move the seat of the Arab League from Cairo to Tunis from 1979 to 1990 in objection to Egypt's peace treaty.

Palestinians have long considered Israel settlement activity a major obstacle impeding the possibility of a two-state solution and an obliteration of hopes to resuming peace talks.

Since October, Israeli security forces have killed more than 184 Palestinians, allegedly accused of carrying out attacks that led to the death of 28 Israelis and two American citizens.