ALBAWABA- Israel’s cabinet has approved the resumption of land registration in Area C of the occupied West Bank for the first time since 1967, in a move widely viewed as paving the way for expanded settlement activity and potential annexation of large areas of Palestinian land.
The decision, passed on February 15, allocates 244 million shekels (about $79 million) over five years to register approximately 290,000 dunams (72,000 acres) as “state lands.”
Under the new process, Palestinian landowners will be required to prove ownership under stringent legal criteria, a burden critics say many will be unable to meet. Area C, which makes up about 60% of the West Bank, remains under full Israeli civil and military control.
Officials estimate that up to 1.7 million dunams could ultimately be subject to registration procedures, meaning large portions of land could default to Israeli state control if ownership claims are not validated, potentially affecting up to 83% of Area C, or roughly half of the entire West Bank.
The initiative was strongly backed by far-right ministers and comes amid heightened tensions following the Gaza war and strains within Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s governing coalition.
Israeli rights groups have described the measure as “de facto annexation,” arguing that it systematizes land seizures that accelerated in 2025 through military orders and effectively formalizes Israeli sovereignty over occupied territory without a formal declaration of annexation.
The Palestinian Authority condemned the decision as a flagrant violation of international law and the beginning of annexation, urging international intervention. Egypt called it a serious escalation undermining Palestinian rights, while Jordan urged international pressure to halt what it described as a dangerous move.
Qatar labeled it an extension of illegal plans, Saudi Arabia warned it threatens Palestinian self-determination, and Turkey declared it null and void under international law. The Arab League denounced the decision, and the European Union said it is incompatible with international law and urged Israel to reverse course.
Germany described the measure as amounting to de facto annexation, while the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights warned that expanding settlement control and fragmenting Palestinian territory risks making a viable, contiguous Palestinian state impossible.
With more than 500,000 Israeli settlers already living in the West Bank, institutionalizing land registration in Area C could entrench Israeli control, intensify tensions on the ground, and further erode prospects for a negotiated two-state solution.
