The Israeli government has approved a proposal to register extensive areas of the occupied West Bank as “state property,” marking the first such move since Israel occupied the territory in 1967.
Israeli public broadcaster KAN reported on Sunday that the proposal was put forward by far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, Justice Minister Yariv Levin, and Defence Minister Israel Katz.
Smotrich said the move was part of what he described as a “settlement revolution,” adding, “We are continuing the settlement revolution to control all our lands.”
Most Palestinian land in the West Bank has remained unregistered due to a lengthy and complex process that Israel halted in 1967. Land registration establishes permanent ownership. Under international law, an occupying power is prohibited from confiscating land in occupied territories.
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The Palestinian Presidency strongly criticised the decision, calling it a “serious escalation” that effectively nullifies signed agreements and directly violates resolutions of the United Nations Security Council, according to the Palestinian news agency Wafa.
Katz defended the decision, describing it as an “essential security and governance measure” aimed at ensuring control, enforcement and full freedom of action for the Israel in the area, the Jerusalem Post reported.
The approval follows a decision last week by the Israeli Security Cabinet to endorse additional measures promoted by Smotrich and Katz, which further facilitate what critics describe as the unlawful seizure of Palestinian land in the occupied territory.
Meanwhile, Palestinian group Hamas condemned the move, saying it was an attempt to “steal and Judaise lands in the occupied West Bank by registering them as so-called ‘state lands’.”
In a statement, Hamas described the approval as a “null and void decision issued by an illegitimate occupying power,” adding that it represents an effort to impose settlement expansion and Judaisation in clear violation of international law and relevant UN resolutions.
Analysts have warned that the move amounts to a de facto annexation of Palestinian territory, saying it would significantly alter the civil and legal framework by removing what Israeli officials have termed long-standing “legal obstacles” to the expansion of illegal settlements.
Speaking from Ramallah, political analyst Xavier Abu Eid told that Israel was effectively carrying out annexation through bureaucratic means.
He said the International Court of Justice ruled in 2024 that Israeli actions in the West Bank amount to annexation.
“This is not just a step towards annexation. Annexation is already happening,” he said, adding that the Israeli government is implementing a political programme that has already been publicly declared.
#From Agencies