JERUSALEM – The Israeli government on Sunday approved a proposal to register vast areas of the occupied West Bank as “state property,” according to Israeli media reports. This is the first time since Israel occupied the area in 1967.
Public broadcaster KAN reported that the proposal was submitted by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, Justice Minister Yariv Levin and Defense Minister Yisrael Katz.
Israel Hayom newspaper reported ahead of the decision that the initial goal was to gradually resolve 15% of Area C by 2030.
Under the 1995 Oslo II Accords, Area A is under full Palestinian control, Area B is under Palestinian civilian control and Israeli security control, while Area C, comprising approximately 61% of the West Bank, remains under full Israeli control.
According to Israel Hayom, the main implication of the decision is that large tracts of land will be converted into state land unless private ownership is proven.
The newspaper said that even without a formal political decision to apply Israeli law in the territory, registering land that has not been proven to be privately owned would significantly strengthen Israel’s control over land through formal land registration procedures.
The Oslo II Accords limit land registration by the Palestinian Authority to Areas A and B, and prohibit it from Area C.
If implemented, Israel’s Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) will be tasked with organizing and registering land ownership in Area C.
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The process includes issuing sales permits, collecting fees, and overseeing registration procedures, while preventing the Palestinian Authority from conducting similar activities in these areas.
The move follows a series of measures approved by Israel’s Security Cabinet last week aimed at expanding settlement activity and strengthening Israeli control in the occupied West Bank.
According to Israeli media reports, the measures include repealing a law that prohibits the sale of West Bank land to Israeli settlers, unsealing land ownership records, and transferring authority for building permits in settlement areas near Hebron from Palestinian municipalities to the Israeli Civil Administration.
Israel began military operations in Gaza on October 8, 2023, and has since stepped up operations in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
Palestinians see the escalation in killings, arrests, forced displacement and settlement expansion as steps toward formal annexation of territory.
In July 2024, the International Court of Justice issued an advisory opinion declaring Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories illegal and calling for it to vacate settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
