Israel is moving ahead with a new land-registration system in the occupied West Bank that Palestinians say amounts to annexation. The government is expected to formally register large tracts in Area C—about 60% of the territory—as state land, a step Israeli ministers openly link to expanding Jewish settlements there. "We are continuing the revolution of settlement," said Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, per CNN, while Justice Minister Yariv Levin said Israel is "committed to strengthening its hold over all parts of our land, and this decision expresses that commitment."
Back in September, President Trump vowed he would not allow Israel to annex the West Bank. Watchdog group Peace Now said Israel is now doing it anyway. The group said landowners will need "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." Before Israel captured the West Bank from Jordan in 1967, only 30% of the land had been registered, per Al Jazeera. Israel now wants to settle 15% of unregistered land within four years, according to the outlet.
The Palestinian Presidency said the "de facto annexation" is a breach of international law and called on the UN Security Council and United States to intervene. The UN's highest court previously found Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories is illegal, per Reuters. A similar land registration process has been playing out in occupied East Jerusalem since 2018. From 2018 to 2024, just 1% of registered land was registered to Palestinians, according to Israeli human rights group Bimkom. The latest measure follows last week's expansion of Israeli governance in the West Bank, which drew international condemnation.
,
uBlock 
,
and
Ghostery 
)
