Palestinians condemn Israeli move to grab West Bank land as ‘de facto annexation’

JERUSALEM — The Palestinian Presidency and Hamas condemned the Israeli decision to advance the registration of territory in the occupied West Bank as state land, calling it a grave escalation that amounts to “de-facto annexation”.In a statement, the Palestinian president’s office warned that the move was a “declaration of the annexation plans aimed at entrenching the occupation through illegal settlement activity.”It called on the international community, especially the United States and the United Nations Security Council, to intervene immediately.For the first time since Israel occupied the territory in 1967, the Zionist government will create a mechanism to officially register large swaths of land under the state. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called the move as a flagrant violation of international law and the European Union saying it is a “step in the wrong direction.” The Israeli move was part of a series of measures approved by its Security Cabinet last week aimed at expanding illegal settlement building and increasing Tel Aviv’s control of the West Bank.According to Israeli media, the measures include repealing a law that barred the sale of land in the West Bank to illegal Israeli settlers, unsealing land ownership records, and shifting authority for building permits in a settlement bloc near Hebron from a Palestinian municipality to Israel’s civil administration.Israel’s Foreign Ministry defended the move as an “administrative measure” which would “bring order” to land registration. But government ministers made clear the intent was to increase settlement and entrench Israel’s grip on the land.Hamas denounced the Israeli move, calling it an attempt “to steal and Judaise lands in the occupied West Bank by registering them as so-called ‘state lands’”.The group, which led the October 2023 attacks on southern Israel and fought against Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza, called the approval “a null and void decision issued by an illegitimate occupying power”.“It is an attempt to forcibly impose settlement and Judaisation on the ground, in flagrant violation of international law and relevant UN resolutions,” it added.Peace Now, an Israeli settlement watchdog, described the government’s move as “a massive land grab in the West Bank … completely against the will of the people and contrary to Israel’s best interests.”The Israeli government approved the measure despite US President Donald Trump’s stated opposition to annexation of the West Bank.“We warn President Trump: Netanyahu is deceiving you! You said you wouldn’t allow annexation, but he’s carrying it out right under your nose,” Peace Now said, adding that the move would lead to the dispossession of thousands of Palestinians from their land.“The process requires landowners to prove ownership in ways that are almost impossible for most Palestinians to do; if they fail, the land will be automatically registered as state land,” Peace Now asserted.Turkey on Sunday strongly condemned Israel’s new decision on land registration in the occupied West Bank, calling it a violation of international law.The Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the move aims to impose Israel’s “authority over the occupied West Bank and expand settlement activities.””This step, which seeks to forcibly displace the Palestinian people from their land and accelerate Israel’s unlawful annexation efforts, constitutes a clear violation of international law and is null and void,” the ministry said.”Israel has no sovereignty over the occupied Palestinian territories,” the ministry added, saying that the expansionist policies pursued by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government undermine peace efforts and damage prospects for a two-state solution.Ankara called on the international community to take a firm stance against Israeli attempts to create facts on the ground.The ministry said Turkey will continue to support efforts to “establish an independent, sovereign and contiguous” Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.The Israeli government’s new measure will apply to what is known as Area C of the West Bank, accounting for about 60% of the territory with a settler population of at least 325,500, according to Israeli human rights group Btselem.Under the Oslo II Accord signed in 1995, Area A is under full Palestinian control, Area B is under Palestinian civil control and Israeli security control, while Area Cremains under full Israeli control.The Oslo II Accord limits land registration by the Palestinian Authority to Areas A and B, while prohibiting it in Area C.More than 300,000 Palestinians are estimated to live in Area C, with many more in surrounding communities dependent on its agricultural and grazing lands.Most Palestinian land there was not officially registered due to long and expansive legal processes, including requirements for decades-old documents that may have been lost or destroyed during times of war or occupation.Israel can now challenge the ownership of lands it previously denied Palestinians access to.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 a step toward formal annexation of the territory.In a landmark opinion in July 2024, the International Court of Justice declared Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory illegal and called for the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. — Agencies