Original sentence: Israeli NGO B'Tselem appealed the decision to the Ministry of Interior, by claiming that, regardless of the Ottoman Law which applies in the area, the state lands on which the city was built belong to the neighbouring villages
Edited sentence: Btselem said that the upgrading of Modi'in Illit's status to that of a municipality was of concern because the land on which Mod'in Illit was built was declared state land through a manipulative application of Ottoman Law, resulting in the confiscation of lands belonging to neighbouring Palestinian villages.The Israeli NGO B'Tselem appealed the decision to the Ministry of Interior