Palestinian Authority: Israeli land registration is 'de facto annexation'

The Palestinian Authority issued a stark warning Sunday, declaring that Israel's government decision to register extensive areas of the occupied West Bank as "state property" amounts to "de facto annexation" and a blatant violation of international law. In a statement carried by official news agency Wafa, the Authority described the measure as an official launch of annexation plans aimed at consolidating occupation through illegal settlement expansion.

Violation of Resolutions and Agreements

The statement emphasized that unilateral Israeli actions "would not confer legitimacy over Palestinian land and would not change the legal and historical status of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip as occupied territory under international law." It stressed the move constitutes "a termination of the signed agreements and clearly contradicts the resolutions of the UN Security Council, especially Resolution 2334, which considers all settlement activity in the entire occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem, to be illegal."

Call for International Intervention

The Authority called on the international community—particularly the UN Security Council and the US administration—to intervene immediately, compel Tel Aviv to comply with international law, and prevent further escalation. The response came after Israel's Sunday approval of the first such land registration since the 1967 occupation, submitted by far-right ministers Bezalel Smotrich, Yariv Levin, and Israel Katz, with an initial goal of settling 15% of Area C by 2030.

Broader Annexation Context

The land decision follows last week's Security Cabinet measures expanding settlement activity, including repealing land-sale prohibitions to settlers and transferring building permit authority to Israeli administration. Since October 2023, intensified West Bank operations have killed over 1,112 Palestinians, injured 11,500, and detained more than 21,000. The International Court of Justice declared Israel's occupation illegal in July 2024, calling for evacuation of all settlements.