Israel’s approval of a land registration process in the West Bank draws condemnation from Arab states and the EU, who warn it accelerates annexation and undermines peace prospects.
JERUSALEM: Israel’s government has approved a process to register land in the occupied West Bank as “state property”, drawing swift international condemnation.
Arab nations and European officials denounced the move as illegal under international law and a major escalation that threatens the prospect of a two-state solution.
Israel’s foreign ministry said the measure, approved late Sunday, would enable “transparent and thorough clarification of rights to resolve legal disputes”. It argued the step was necessary due to unlawful land registration in areas controlled by the Palestinian Authority.
Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry said the measure is “aimed at imposing a new legal and administrative reality in the occupied West Bank”. Jordan’s King Abdullah II warned the actions “undermine efforts to restore calm and threaten to exacerbate the conflict”.
The European Union called on Israel to reverse the decision. “This constitutes a new escalation after recent measures already aimed at extending Israeli control,” EU foreign affairs spokesman Anouar El Anouni stated.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called the move “destabilising” and warned it “could lead to the dispossession of Palestinians of their property”. He urged an immediate reversal, stating the current trajectory erodes the prospect for a two-state solution.
The Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority called for international intervention to prevent what it termed the “de facto beginning of the annexation process”. Israeli anti-settlement watchdog Peace Now labelled the measure a “mega land grab”.
The NGO’s co-director, Jonathan Mizrachi, told AFP the process would attribute new resources for land registration exclusively in Area C. This area constitutes about 60% of the West Bank and is under full Israeli security and administrative control.
“There was a lot of ambiguity regarding the land, and Israel decided now to deal with it,” Mizrachi said. He added that the grey area over land ownership is likely to be used against Palestinians, advancing an annexation agenda.
The land registration follows other recent measures approved by Israel’s security cabinet. These include allowing Jewish Israelis to buy West Bank land directly and granting Israeli authorities control over certain religious sites in Palestinian-administered areas.
UN rights chief Volker Turk recently warned of “rapid steps to change permanently the demography of the occupied Palestinian territory”. He said this strips people of their lands and forces them to leave.
More than 500,000 Israelis live in West Bank settlements considered illegal under international law. Around three million Palestinians reside in the territory, which Israel has occupied since 1967.