tel aviv
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The Israeli government is in the process of registering the occupied West Bank territory as state land, a move the Palestinians denounce as “de facto annexation.”
For the first time since Israel occupied the territory in 1967, the government will create a system to formally register large tracts of land as a state.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry defended the move as an “administrative measure” that “brings order” to land registration. But government ministers have made it clear that the aim is to increase Israeli settlements and strengthen Israel’s control over the land.
Far-right Finance Minister Bezalal Smotrich said the land registry system would continue “a revolution in settlement and governance across every region of our land,” referring to Judea and Samaria (the Biblical term for the West Bank). Justice Minister Yariv Levin said that Israel is “committed to strengthening its control over all areas of our land, and this decision demonstrates that determination.”
According to Israeli human rights group B’Tselem, the government’s new measures apply to the so-called Area C in the West Bank. The area makes up about 60% of the territory and is home to an estimated 180,000 to 300,000 Palestinians and at least 325,500 settlers.
The Palestinian president’s office said the decision violated international law and amounted to a “de facto annexation of occupied Palestinian territory.” The president’s office warned in a statement that the move was a “declaration of an annexation plan aimed at consolidating the occupation through illegal settlement activities.”
Israel captured the West Bank from Jordan in the 1967 war and subsequently began establishing Jewish settlements there, a move that the United Nations and much of the international community considers illegal under international law. The United Nations also considers the West Bank and East Jerusalem to be occupied territory where Palestinians aspire to a future state.
Israeli settlement watchdog Peace Now called the government’s move “a large-scale land grab in the West Bank…completely against the will of the people and against Israel’s best interests.”
The Israeli government approved the move despite US President Donald Trump’s opposition to the annexation of the West Bank.
“We warn President Trump: Prime Minister Netanyahu is deceiving you! You said you would not recognize annexation, but he is carrying out annexation right under your nose,” Peace Now said, adding that the move would lead to thousands of Palestinians being dispossessed of their land.
“This process requires landowners to prove ownership in a way that is nearly impossible for most Palestinians. If they cannot prove it, the land will be automatically registered as state land,” Peace Now argued.
This latest move comes after Israel’s Security Cabinet approved measures last week to expand Israeli rule and control over the West Bank. The move drew international condemnation, with UN Secretary-General António Guterres calling it a grave violation of international law and the European Union saying it was a “step in the wrong direction”.
