Israel’s government recently authorized a procedure to register land in the West Bank as “state property,” prompting disapproval from Arab nations and critics concerned about the potential hastening of annexation of Palestinian territory. The decision, sanctioned on Sunday, aims to facilitate a transparent resolution of legal disputes by verifying rights in areas under Palestinian Authority control where unlawful land registration has occurred, according to Israel’s foreign ministry.
Egypt, Qatar, and Jordan have denounced the move as a violation of international law. Egypt labeled it a “dangerous escalation” to reinforce Israeli authority over occupied Palestinian territories. Qatar’s foreign ministry condemned the action, asserting it would strip Palestinians of their rights by converting West Bank lands into state property.
The Palestinian Authority based in Ramallah has urged international intervention to halt what they perceive as the de facto initiation of annexation and an erosion of the Palestinian state’s foundation. Anti-settlement organization Peace Now in Israel criticized the decision as a significant land seizure.
Jonathan Mizrachi, co-director of the Israeli NGO, emphasized that the measure would introduce a new process for land registration in the occupied West Bank. The registration will be limited to Area C, constituting approximately 60% of the West Bank under Israeli security and administrative control. Mizrachi highlighted the existing ambiguity over land ownership in Area C, suggesting that Palestinians may discover discrepancies in their claimed land ownership through the new registration process.
There is a fundamental disagreement between Palestinians, who view the West Bank as crucial for a future Palestinian state, and Israeli religious groups advocating for control over the land. Last week, Israel’s security cabinet, supported by far-right ministers, approved additional measures to enhance control over West Bank areas managed by the Palestinian Authority as per the Oslo accords.
These measures, which have sparked international criticism, include permitting Jewish Israelis to directly purchase West Bank land and granting Israeli authorities oversight of specific religious sites in Palestinian Authority-administered areas. Israel has held the West Bank since 1967, and recent initiatives are occurring amid escalating attacks by Israeli settlers on Palestinians in the region, as reported by human rights organizations.
The United Nations rights chief, Volker Turk, expressed concern over the rapid alterations in the demographic landscape of the occupied Palestinian territory, leading to land loss and displacement of its inhabitants. Although US President Donald Trump has opposed Israel’s annexation of the West Bank for stability reasons, he has refrained from directly condemning the latest Israeli actions despite global outcry.
Excluding East Jerusalem, over 500,000 Israelis reside in West Bank settlements and outposts, considered illegal under international law, while approximately three million Palestinians live in the region, occupied by Israel since 1967.
