Israel Approves West Bank Land Registration Process, First Since 1967

“The measures announced this month create, for many Palestinians, a rampart of red tape that could be impossible to negotiate or contest.”

“Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, the far-right author of the new measures, said in a statement that they 'fundamentally change the legal and civic reality in Judea and Samaria and bury the idea of a Palestinian state.'”

“The Israeli government has approved a proposal to register large areas of the occupied West Bank as 'state property,' for the first time since the Israeli occupation of the territory in 1967.”

“Most Palestinian land is not formally registered because it is a long, complicated process that Israel stopped in 1967.”

“The Israeli anti-settlement group Peace Now said the process likely amounts to a 'mega land grab' from Palestinians.”

“Jordan's Foreign Ministry in a statement called on the international community to 'assume its legal and moral responsibilities, and to compel Israel, the occupying power, to stop its dangerous escalation.'”

“Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas' office in a statement called the decision 'a grave escalation and a flagrant violation of international law,' which amounts to 'de facto annexation.'”

“Israel's Foreign Ministry in a statement claimed, without offering evidence, that the Palestinian Authority was 'advancing illegal land registration procedures in Area C'”

“The Israeli anti-settlement group Peace Now said the 'dramatic' move probably amounts to a 'mega land grab' from Palestinians”

“Israel's Foreign Ministry in a statement claimed, without offering evidence, that the Palestinian Authority was 'advancing illegal land registration procedures in Area C'”

“Defence Minister Israel Katz said land registration was a vital security measure designed to ensure control, enforcement, and full freedom of action for Israel in the area to protect its citizens and safeguard national interests.”

“The PA presidency rejected the cabinet's decision, saying it constitutes 'a de-facto annexation of occupied Palestinian territory'”

“The proposal had been put forward by some of Israel's far-right members of the ruling coalition, including the Minister of Justice Yariv Levin. 'The government of Israel is committed to strengthening its grip on all its parts, and this decision is an expression of that commitment,' he said.”

“Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas' office in a statement called the decision 'a grave escalation and a flagrant violation of international law,' which amounts to 'de facto annexation.'”

“The Israeli anti-settlement group Peace Now said the process likely amounts to a 'mega land grab' from Palestinians.”

“Israel's Foreign Ministry in a statement claimed, without offering evidence, that the Palestinian Authority was 'advancing illegal land registration procedures in Area C' and said Sunday's decision was taken for greater transparency.”

“Israel's Foreign Ministry in a statement claimed, without offering evidence, that the Palestinian Authority was 'advancing illegal land registration procedures in Area C' and said Sunday's decision was taken for greater transparency.”

“Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas' office in a statement called the decision 'a grave escalation and a flagrant violation of international law,' which amounts to 'de facto annexation.'”