International condemnation follows decision to seize 380 acres of fertile land close to Jordan border, with both the UN and US criticizing the move.
Israel confirmed on Thursday it was planning to appropriate a large tract of fertile land in the West Bank, close to Jordan, a move likely to exacerbate tensions with Western allies and already drawing international condemnation.
In an email sent to Reuters, COGAT, a unit of the Defence Ministry, said the political decision to seize the territory had been taken and "the lands are in the final stages of being declared state lands."
The appropriation, first reported by Army Radio, covers 154 hectares (380 acres) in the Jordan Valley close to Jericho, an area where Israel already has many settlement farms built on land Palestinians seek for a state.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon issued a statement on Wednesday denouncing the land seizure, which is the largest appropriation in the West Bank since August 2014.
"Settlement activities are a violation of international law and run counter to the public pronouncements of the Government of Israel supporting a two-state solution to the conflict," Ban said in a statement.
The land, already partly farmed by Jewish settlers in an area under Israeli civilian and military control, is situated near the northern tip of the Dead Sea. The Palestinians denounced the appropriation plan on Wednesday.