Israel approves West Bank land registration as 'state property' for first time since 1967

The Israeli government has approved a historic measure to register large swaths of the occupied West Bank as "state property," the first initiative of its kind since Israel captured the territory in the 1967 Middle East war. The decision, announced Sunday, was submitted by far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, Justice Minister Yariv Levin, and Defense Minister Israel Katz, according to Israeli public broadcaster KAN.

Smotrich celebrated the approval on social media, declaring: "We are continuing the settlement revolution to control all our lands". Defense Minister Katz described the move as an "essential security and governance measure designed to ensure control, enforcement, and full freedom of action for the State of Israel in the area". Justice Minister Levin called it "a real revolution in Judea and Samaria," using the Biblical term for the West Bank, adding that "The Land of Israel belongs to the people of Israel".

Land Registration Mechanism

Under the 1995 Oslo II Accord, Area C—accounting for approximately 61 percent of the West Bank—remains under full Israeli military and civilian control. The newly approved process authorizes the Land Registration Authority in the Justice Ministry to carry out systematic land registration in these territories, with funding and personnel allocated for implementation.

The ownership of roughly two-thirds of West Bank land has never been formally registered, including in Area C. The registration process will allow land to be declared state property if it is not currently registered as privately owned. According to Israel Hayom newspaper, the initial goal involves gradually settling 15 percent of Area C by 2030.

Palestinian Condemnation

The Palestinian Presidency slammed the Israeli government's decision, calling it a "serious escalation" and warning that it effectively nullifies signed agreements while contradicting United Nations Security Council resolutions . In a statement carried by official news agency Wafa, the Authority described the measure as "a blatant violation of international law and international legitimacy resolutions" and a "de facto annexation of occupied Palestinian land" .

Palestinian group Hamas also condemned the decision, calling it an attempt "to steal and Judaise lands in the occupied West Bank by registering them as so-called 'state lands'" and labeling the approval "a null and void decision issued by an illegitimate occupying power".

International Law Concerns

Most Palestinian land remains unregistered because the process is lengthy and complicated—a process Israel suspended in 1967. International law explicitly states that an occupying power cannot confiscate land in occupied territories. In July 2024, the International Court of Justice issued an advisory opinion declaring Israel's occupation of Palestinian territory illegal and calling for the evacuation of settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

Peace Now, an Israeli anti-occupation organization, responded to the decision by stating: "The government has approved a massive land grab in the West Bank on the way to de facto annexation, in complete contradiction to the will of the people and the Israeli interest". The organization warned that under current conditions, Palestinians will face extreme difficulty proving and asserting ownership claims, likely leading to hundreds of thousands of dunams being declared state land available for settlement development.

Political analyst Xavier Abu Eid told Al Jazeera that Israel is "packing annexation into some sort of a bureaucratic move," emphasizing that "People should understand this is not just a step towards annexation, we are experiencing annexation as we speak today".