Israel Deepens West Bank Control With Land Registration Palestinians Call ‘De Facto Annexation’

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israel will launch a contentious land settlement process across large swaths of occupied territory West BankThis could result in Israel gaining control over a large swath of the region for future development, according to a government decision taken on Sunday.

This paves the way for the resumption of “land title resolution” processes in the West Bank, which have been frozen since the Middle East War in 1967. This means that when Israel begins the process of registering land for a particular area, anyone claiming the land must present documents proving ownership.

Israeli anti-settlement group Peace Now said the process would likely amount to a “mega land grab” by Palestinians.

“This move is very dramatic and allows the state to take control of almost the entire Area C,” said Hagit Ofran, director of Peace Now’s Settlement Monitor program. Area C refers to the area where 60 percent of the West Bank is under full Israeli military control, according to agreements reached with the Palestinians in the 1990s.

In a statement, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’s office called the decision “a serious escalation and a clear violation of international law”; This means “de facto annexation”. He called for urgent intervention from the international community, especially the UN Security Council and the USA.

The decision is the latest step towards deepening Israel’s control over the West Bank. Israel in recent months Construction in Jewish settlements was greatly expandedlegalized outposts and made significant bureaucratic changes He focused his policies in the region to weaken the Palestinian Authority and strengthen its influence.

In a statement, Israel’s Foreign Ministry claimed, without providing any evidence, that the Palestinian Authority was “advancing illegal land registration procedures in Area C” and said Sunday’s decision was taken for the purpose of greater transparency.

The decision was first announced last May but required further developments to be approved at this week’s Cabinet meeting. According to the decision, Israeli authorities will announce that certain areas will be registered, which will force anyone who claims land to prove their ownership.

Ofran said the process of proving ownership can be “brutal” and is rarely transparent, meaning that any land that goes through the registration process in areas currently owned by Palestinians will likely return to the control of the Israeli state.

“Palestinians will be sent to prove ownership in a way they never could,” Ofran told the Associated Press. “And this way Israel could capture 83% of Area C, which is about half of the West Bank.”

He said the registration process could begin this year.

The proposal was put forward by some far-right members of the ruling coalition, including Justice Minister Yariv Levin. “The Israeli government is determined to strengthen its dominance in all sectors, and this decision is an expression of this determination,” he said.

In a statement, Jordan’s Foreign Ministry called on the international community “to assume its legal and moral responsibilities and force the occupying power, Israel, to stop the dangerous escalation.”

Qatar’s foreign ministry said it considered Israel’s decision “an extension of its illegal plans to deprive the Palestinian people of their rights.”

Previous US administrations have harshly condemned the expansion of Israeli activity and control in the West Bank, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has a particularly close relationship with President Donald Trump. two We met in Washington last weektheir seventh meeting last year.

Ofran noted that Trump still opposes annexation.

Palestinians not allowed to sell land privately to Israelis Measures announced last week We aim to eliminate this. Currently, settlers can buy homes on land under the control of the Israeli government. The decision taken last week also aimed to expand Israeli sanctions on various issues in the West Bank, including environmental and archaeological issues in Palestinian-administered areas.

More than 700,000 Israelis live in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, which Israel captured from Jordan in 1967 and are sought by Palestinians for a future state. The international community overwhelmingly sees the settlements built by Israel in these regions as illegal and an obstacle to peace.

More than 300,000 Palestinians are estimated to live in Area C of the West Bank; Many more in surrounding communities depend on agricultural and grazing land, including land where families keep land titles or tax records dating back decades.