The Israeli security cabinet has approved a proposal to register large areas in the West Bank as “state property” for the first time since occupation began in 1967 following the Six-Day War.
The new decision builds on a move by the cabinet last weekend, when it made it easier for Jewish settlers to buy land in the West Bank and repealed a law dating back to times of Jordanian control over the area to make land registries public rather than private.
The proposal was tabled by hardline nationalist officials, Deputy PM and Justice Minister Yariv Levin, Defense Minister Israel Katz, and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich. The sponsors hailed its adoption as a major breakthrough and a “true revolution” to accelerate the settlement process.
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Israel’s government has approved a process to register land in the occupied West Bank as “state property,” drawing condemnation from Arab nations and critics who said it would accelerate annexation of the Palestinian territory.
ReplyDeleteIsrael’s foreign ministry said the measure, approved late on Sunday, would enable “transparent and thorough clarification of rights to resolve legal disputes” and was needed after unlawful land registration in areas controlled by the Palestinian Authority.
Arab nations Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Qatar and Jordan criticized the move as illegal under international law.
The European Union on Monday called on Israel to reverse its approval of a process to register land in the West Bank, warning it was a “new escalation.”
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