Tel Aviv, MINA – Israel’s Security Cabinet on Sunday approved a series of measures aimed at reshaping the legal and civil framework in the occupied West Bank, a move Israeli media say is designed to strengthen Israeli control and facilitate illegal settlement expansion.
Public broadcaster KAN reported that the decisions, promoted by Defense Minister Israel Katz and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, include repealing a Jordanian-era law that prohibited the sale of Palestinian land to Jews in the West Bank, opening land ownership records to the public, and transferring building permit authority in settlement areas of Hebron from the Palestinian municipality to Israel’s Civil Administration.
According to the daily Yedioth Ahronoth, the changes are expected to significantly alter land registration and purchase procedures in the territory.
Making land records publicly accessible would disclose property owners’ names and allow Israeli buyers to contact them directly, potentially easing land transactions and settlement expansion across the West Bank.
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The cabinet also removed special transaction permit requirements for completing land purchases and reduced professional oversight by the Civil Administration, limiting procedures to basic registration requirements. The move has been described as a legal change that would be difficult to reverse.
Additional decisions expand Israel’s inspection and enforcement authority into areas classified as Area A and Area B, citing alleged violations related to unlicensed construction, water issues, and damage to archaeological and environmental sites.
Under these measures, Israeli authorities could carry out demolitions and property seizures even in areas that are administratively and security-controlled by the Palestinian Authority.
Yedioth Ahronoth reported that part of the decision affects arrangements in Hebron, transferring planning and construction authority over the Ibrahimi Mosque area and other religious sites from the Hebron municipality to Israel’s Civil Administration planning body.
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The move appears to conflict with provisions of the 1997 Hebron Protocol agreement between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization.
KAN quoted Katz as saying the decision reflects a clear policy to strengthen Israel’s presence in “Judea and Samaria,” the Hebrew term commonly used by Israeli officials for the West Bank.
Under the 1993 Oslo Accords, Area A falls under full Palestinian civil and security control, Area B under Palestinian civil control and Israeli security control, and Area C remains under full Israeli control.
Israeli authorities have continued demolishing Palestinian homes and structures in the West Bank on the grounds that they claim that they lack permits, a policy Palestinians say makes obtaining building approval nearly impossible.
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According to the Palestinian government’s Commission Against Colonization and the Wall, Israel carried out 538 demolitions in 2025, affecting approximately 1,400 homes and structures, a sharp increase compared to previous years.[]
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
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