Israel approves registration of large West Bank areas as state property

JERUSALEM — The Israeli government on Sunday approved a proposal to register large areas of the occupied West Bank as “state property” for the first time since Israel occupied the territory in 1967, according to Israeli media reports.Public broadcaster KAN said the proposal was submitted by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, Justice Minister Yariv Levin and Defense Minister Israel Katz.Israel Hayom newspaper reported ahead of the decision that the initial goal is the gradual settlement of 15% of Area C by 2030.Under the 1995 Oslo II Accord, Area A is under full Palestinian control, Area B is under Palestinian civil control and Israeli security control, while Area C — which accounts for about 61% of the West Bank — remains under full Israeli control.According to Israel Hayom, the main implication of the decision is the conversion of large tracts of land into state land, provided that no private ownership is proven.The paper said that even without a formal political decision to apply Israeli law in the territory, registering plots not proven to be privately owned would significantly strengthen Israel’s hold over the land through official land registry procedures.The Oslo II Accord limits land registration by the Palestinian Authority to Areas A and B and prohibits it in Area C.If implemented, Israel’s Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) would be tasked with organizing and registering land ownership in Area C.The process would include issuing sale permits, collecting fees and overseeing registration procedures, while preventing the Palestinian Authority from conducting similar activities in those areas.The move follows a series of measures approved last week by Israel’s Security Cabinet aimed at expanding settlement activity and increasing Israeli control in the occupied West Bank.Israeli media reported that the measures include repealing a law that barred the sale of land in the West Bank to Israeli settlers, unsealing land ownership records, and transferring authority for building permits in a settlement bloc near Hebron from a Palestinian municipality to Israel’s civil administration.Israel has intensified operations in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, since launching its military campaign in Gaza on Oct. 8, 2023.Palestinians view the escalation — including killings, arrests, displacement and settlement expansion — as steps toward formal annexation of the territory.In July 2024, the International Court of Justice issued an advisory opinion declaring Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory illegal and calling for the evacuation of settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.