Israeli cabinet approves West Bank land registration, condemns Palestinians’ ‘de facto annexation’
JERUSALEM: Israel’s cabinet on Sunday approved new measures aimed at strengthening Israeli control over the occupied West Bank, including steps that make it easier for settlers to purchase land. Palestinians condemned the move as “a de-facto annexation.”
The West Bank is a key territory Palestinians hope to include in a future independent state. While much of the region remains under Israeli military control, the Palestinian Authority (PA) administers certain areas with limited self-rule.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, facing elections later this year, has repeatedly warned that the creation of a Palestinian state poses a security threat. His coalition government includes numerous pro-settler members who advocate for annexing the West Bank—land captured by Israel during the 1967 Middle East war, which Israel cites as having biblical and historical significance.
The cabinet approved the initiation of a land registration process for the first time since 1967. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a far-right member of Netanyahu’s government, hailed the move, saying: “We are continuing the revolution of settlement and strengthening our hold across all parts of our land.”
Defence Minister Israel Katz described land registration as a crucial security measure that ensures control, enforcement, and full freedom of action for Israel, protecting its citizens and national interests.
The cabinet statement framed the process as a response to “illegal land registration processes promoted by the Palestinian Authority” and claimed it would resolve disputes.
The PA presidency strongly rejected the decision, calling it “a de-facto annexation of occupied Palestinian territory and a declaration of the commencement of annexation plans aimed at entrenching the occupation through illegal settlement activity.”
Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump has opposed formal Israeli annexation of the West Bank but has not acted to limit Israel’s ongoing settlement expansion—a move Palestinians say undermines their prospects for statehood.
Source: Global Media/ Reuters