Israel's Cabinet Moves to Register West Bank Land, Palestinians Decry Annexation

Israel's Land Registration Decision and Its Implications

JERUSALEM, Feb 15 (Reuters) - Israel's cabinet on Sunday approved further measures to tighten Israel's control over the occupied West Bank and make it easier for settlers to buy land, in a move Palestinians called "a de-facto annexation".

Government's Justification for Land Registration

The West Bank is among the territories that the Palestinians seek for a future independent state. Much of it is under Israeli military control, with limited Palestinian self-rule in some areas run by the Western-backed Palestinian Authority (PA).

Palestinian Authority's Reaction

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is facing an election later this year, deems the establishment of any Palestinian state a security threat.

International Perspectives on Annexation

His ruling coalition includes many pro-settler members who want Israel to annex the West Bank, land captured in the 1967 Middle East war to which Israel cites biblical and historical ties.

Ministers voted in favour of beginning a process of land registration for the first time since 1967.

"We are continuing the revolution of settlement and strengthening our hold across all parts of our land," said Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a far-right member of Netanyahu's government.

Defence Minister Israel Katz said land registration was a vital security measure designed to ensure control, enforcement, and full freedom of action for Israel in the area to protect its citizens and safeguard national interests.

The cabinet said in a statement registration was an "appropriate response to illegal land registration processes promoted by the Palestinian Authority," and would end disputes.

The PA presidency rejected the cabinet's decision, saying it constitutes "a de-facto annexation of occupied Palestinian territory and a declaration of the commencement of annexation plans aimed at entrenching the occupation through illegal settlement activity."

U.S. President Donald Trump has ruled out Israeli annexation of the West Bank but his administration has not sought to curb Israel's accelerated settlement building, which the Palestinians say denies them a potential state by eating away at its territory.

The United Nations' highest court said in a non-binding advisory opinion in 2024 that Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories and settlements there are illegal and should be ended as soon as possible. Israel disputes this view, saying it has historical and biblical ties to the land.

The land registration adds to a series of measures taken earlier this month to expand control.

(Reporting by Steven Scheer, Jaidaa Taha, Ahmed Elimam and Nidal al-Mughrabi; Editing by Alexandra Hudson)