Gaza (TDI): The Israeli government has approved a plan to register extensive areas of the occupied West Bank as “state property,” marking the first move of its kind since Israel’s occupation of the territory in 1967.
The decision has drawn sharp criticism from Palestinians and international observers, who say it violates international law prohibiting the confiscation of land in occupied territories.
The announcement came on Sunday from Israeli public broadcaster KAN, coinciding with a day of intensified violence in Gaza, where Israeli forces reportedly killed at least 12 Palestinians in less than 24 hours, according to Gaza’s civil defence agency.
The proposal, submitted by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, Justice Minister Yariv Levin, and Defence Minister Israel Katz, was approved by Israel’s security cabinet. Smotrich described the move as part of a continued “settlement revolution to control all our lands.” Katz framed the decision as “an essential security and governance measure to ensure control, enforcement, and full freedom of action for the state of Israel in the area.”
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Palestinian officials denounced the decision as a “serious escalation.” The Palestinian Presidency said the move nullifies signed agreements and violates UN Security Council resolutions, Wafa news agency reported. Hamas also condemned the step, calling it an effort “to steal and Judaise lands in the occupied West Bank by registering them as so-called ‘state lands.’”
Most Palestinian land in the West Bank has never been formally registered due to a lengthy and complex process that was halted by Israel in 1967. Registration of land establishes permanent ownership, which international law prohibits an occupying power from claiming in occupied territories. Analysts warn that Israel’s move amounts to de facto annexation, potentially reshaping the legal and civil framework of the West Bank and removing what Israeli ministers described as “legal obstacles” to expanding settlements.
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The announcement coincided with renewed violence in Gaza despite a US-brokered truce entering its second phase last month. Palestinian authorities reported that five people were killed and several injured in a strike on a tent sheltering displaced families in Jabalia, five others in Khan Yunis, and one more in Gaza City. Israeli gunfire reportedly killed another person in Beit Lahia in northern Gaza.
