Israel’s government decided to begin a new land registration process in a large portion of the occupied West Bank, setting up a restart of legal procedures that the Israeli authorities say help determine land ownership under a structured process. The step could allow Israel to consolidate control over wide swaths of the territory for future development, according to the decision announced Sunday, the Associated Press reported.
The plan would resume “settlement of land title” processes that had been frozen in the West Bank since the 1967 Mideast War. Under the approach, once Israeli authorities designate areas for registration, people who claim land would be required to submit documents proving ownership, according to the AP report.
Peace Now, a longtime critic of Israeli settlement expansion, warned that the move effectively shifts control over land away from Palestinians in Area C. Hagit Ofran, director of Peace Now’s Settlement Watch program, told the Associated Press that the process likely amounts to a “mega land grab” from Palestinians and described it as giving Israel “control of almost all of Area C,” which she linked to the region’s status as the part of the West Bank under full Israeli military control.
In its response, the Palestinian Authority said the decision represented a legal and political escalation. Mahmoud Abbas’ office said in a statement that the decision was “a grave escalation and a flagrant violation of international law,” and that it amounted to “de facto annexation,” according to the AP report. The office called on the international community—“especially the U.N. Security Council and the United States”—to intervene immediately.
Israel framed the land registration decision as part of a broader effort to manage land administration more openly, and it pointed to prior activity by Palestinian planners. Israel’s Foreign Ministry said Palestinian Authority civil planning maps show the authority has been advancing land registration procedures in Area C for years in violation of agreements that give Israel civil and military control over the area, and the ministry said Sunday’s decision was made for “greater transparency,” the AP report said.
Israel’s decision, first announced last May, required additional development before approval in this week’s Cabinet meeting. Under the Cabinet-approved plan, authorities would announce certain areas for registration, forcing claimants to provide proof of ownership, the report said. Ofran said the process for proving ownership can be “draconian” and is rarely transparent, arguing that land currently owned by Palestinians in areas selected for registration is likely to revert to Israeli state control.
Ofran told the Associated Press that Palestinians would be asked to prove ownership “in a way that they will never be able to do,” and she said the mechanism could let Israel take over 83% of Area C—described by her as about half of the West Bank. She added that the registration process could start as soon as this year.
Israeli officials said the move also reflects political support within the ruling coalition. The proposal was advanced by some far-right members, including Justice Minister Yariv Levin, who said, “The government of Israel is committed to strengthening its grip on all its parts, and this decision is an expression of that commitment,” according to the AP report.
Regional governments criticized the decision, and it came as Israel has continued to make changes in the territory in recent months. Jordan’s Foreign Ministry urged the international community to “assume its legal and moral responsibilities” and to compel Israel, the occupying power, to stop what it called a “dangerous escalation,” while Qatar’s foreign ministry said it considered the decision “an extension of its illegal plans to deprive the Palestinian people of their rights,” the AP reported.
The AP report also noted the political context of U.S. engagement. Previous U.S. administrations have sharply condemned expansions of Israeli activity and control in the West Bank, but it said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has a particularly close relationship with President Donald Trump, and that the two met in Washington last week for their seventh meeting in the past year. It added that Trump has opposed annexation, while Ofran pointed to that stance.
The report said Palestinians are not permitted to sell land privately to Israelis, though measures announced last week were described as aiming to nullify that restriction. It also said last week’s decision was intended to expand Israeli enforcement of elements such as environmental and archaeological matters in Palestinian-administered areas, and it noted that more than 700,000 Israelis live in the West Bank and east Jerusalem—territories Israel captured in 1967 and Palestinians seek for a future state.
The AP report estimated more than 300,000 Palestinians live in Area C, where communities depend on agriculture and grazing land, including plots for which families retain land deeds or tax records from decades earlier.