The Israeli government has approved a contentious plan to resume land title registration in the occupied West Bank — a move Palestinians and rights groups describe as a “mega land grab” and a step toward “de facto annexation”.
Media reports confirmed that the bill was submitted by far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, Justice Minister Yariv Levin and Defence Minister Israel Katz, and approved by Israel’s security cabinet.
What The Bill Allows
Under the proposal, Israel will resume the “settlement of land title” process in the West Bank — a procedure that has been frozen since the Six-Day War in 1967. With the process restarting, individuals claiming ownership of land will be required to present documentation proving legal title. If claimants fail to do so, the land may be designated as “state property.”
Smotrich said the move was part of the government’s effort to “regulate” land ownership and expand settlement activity.
The process will apply to Area C, which constitutes about 60% of the West Bank and remains under full Israeli administrative and security control under the Oslo framework.
Critics argue that the decades-long conflict, displacement, and administrative hurdles have left many Palestinian landowners without easily accessible documentation. “There was a lot of ambiguity regarding the land, and Israel decided now to deal with it,” Jonathan Mizrachi, co-director of Israeli NGO Peace Now, told AFP.
However, he warned that “a lot of land that Palestinians consider theirs, they will find out it’s not theirs under this new registration process”, adding that the ambiguity was likely to be used against Palestinian claimants.
Why Palestinians See It As Annexation
The Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority condemned the measure as a “grave escalation and a flagrant violation of international law”, calling it the “de facto beginning of the annexation process”.
Hagit Ofran, who heads Settlement Watch at Peace Now, described the move as “very dramatic”, warning it “allows the state to gain control of almost all of Area C”.
“Palestinians will be sent to prove ownership in a way that they will never be able to do,” she told the Associated Press. She added that Israel could take over up to 83% of Area C, roughly half of the West Bank, through the process.
Hamas called the bill a “violation of international law and UN resolutions”, accusing Israel of attempting to “steal and Judaise lands in the occupied West Bank by registering them as so-called ‘state lands’.”
Regional Backlash
Governments across the region have also criticised the move.
Egypt described it as a “dangerous escalation aimed at consolidating Israeli control over the occupied Palestinian territories.” Qatar said the decision to convert West Bank land into “so-called state property” would “deprive the Palestinian people of their rights.”
Changing Demographics And Rising Tensions
Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967. Excluding annexed East Jerusalem, more than 500,000 Israeli settlers currently live in West Bank settlements and outposts, considered illegal under international law, alongside roughly 3 million Palestinians.
The latest measures come amid broader steps by Israel’s security cabinet to tighten control over areas administered by the Palestinian Authority under the Oslo Accords, including allowing Jewish Israelis to directly purchase West Bank land.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk recently warned: “We are witnessing rapid steps to permanently change the demography of the occupied Palestinian territory, stripping its people of their lands and forcing them to leave.”
US Position
US President Donald Trump has previously stated he would not allow Israel to annex the West Bank.
“I will not allow Israel to annex the West Bank. I will not allow it. It’s not going to happen,” Trump said during a press interaction in September 2025, arguing that stability in the territory enhances Israel’s security.
However, Washington has so far refrained from directly criticising the latest land registration initiative, despite mounting international concern.
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