The Israeli government has approved the resumption of “land title regulation” processes that had been frozen in the West Bank since the 1967 war. According to the Palestinian National Authority, the measure amounts to a “de facto annexation.”
What does the approved measure consist of?
The decision was made by the Israeli Council of Ministers. In practice, Tel Aviv will make it possible to register land for a specific area of the West Bank. Anyone claiming ownership of a specific plot will have to present documents certifying ownership.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the Palestinian Authority was “carrying out illegal land registration procedures in Area C” and said today’s decision was made for greater transparency. The measure had already been announced for the first time in May 2025, but required further study before being approved by the Council of Ministers.
The protests
The Israeli anti-settlement NGO Peace Now claims that the process christened by Tel Aviv probably amounts to a “mega land grab” from the Palestinians. “This move is very dramatic and allows the state to gain control of almost all of Area C,” said Hagit Ofran, director of Peace now’s Settlement watch program. Area C refers to the 60 percent of the West Bank that is under full Israeli military control, according to agreements reached in the 1990s.
For the office of the president of the Palestinian National Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, this is “a serious escalation and a flagrant violation of international law”, essentially a “de facto annexation”. Abbas called on the international community, particularly the United Nations Security Council and the United States, to intervene.