Aletho News

Israel’s new West Bank registration process declares Palestinian land ‘state property’

The Cradle | February 16, 2026

The Israeli government has approved a land registration process, which will allow Israel to claim territory in the occupied West Bank as “state property” if Palestinians cannot prove ownership, a move that has been described as “de facto annexation.”

Israel’s Broadcasting Corporation (KAN) reported that the proposal was submitted by Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, Justice Minister Yariv Levin, and Defense Minister Israel Katz.

“We are continuing the revolution of settlement and strengthening our hold across all parts of our land,” Smotrich said.

Katz called the move a vital security measure and an “appropriate response to illegal land registration processes promoted by the Palestinian Authority.”

Israel’s Foreign Ministry said the registration process will allow for “transparency” and will help resolve land disputes.

The bar for proving Palestinian land ownership is extremely high due to Israel’s restrictive legal system.

Palestinian claims of ownership are rarely granted. Many families rely on decades-old Ottoman documents, or have never had their land properly registered.

Similarly, Israel rarely grants building permits to Palestinians, allowing troops to demolish homes across the occupied West Bank. According to Israel’s Channel 14, Smotrich has established a paramilitary unit whose job is the destruction of Palestinian property.

The registration measures approved on Sunday were frozen in 1968.

Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas called the approval of the land registration process “de facto annexation.”

“The decision to classify West Bank land as state land under Israeli authority constitutes a direct threat to security and stability. The measure amounts to de facto annexation of occupied Palestinian territory and signals the beginning of the implementation of annexation plans aimed at entrenching the occupation through illegal settlement expansion,” the PA presidency said in a statement on Sunday.

Since Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government came to power, it has been rapidly advancing plans to illegally annex the West Bank – occupied by Israel in 1967.

Israel’s security cabinet approved new measures on 8 February aimed at drastically overhauling the occupied West Bank’s legal and civil framework, allowing Tel Aviv to further expand illegal settlements and strengthen its grip on the territory.

Last year, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signed off on reviving the controversial E1 settlement project. The project aims to link Maale Adumim to occupied East Jerusalem, which is viewed as integral to a future Palestinian state.

Israel’s cabinet also voted in 2025 to take full responsibility for land registration in Area C of the occupied West Bank – an area comprising around 60 percent of the territory and home to the vast majority of Israeli settlements. That move was also described as a de facto annexation.

February 16, 2026 - Posted by aletho | Ethnic Cleansing, Racism, Zionism | Israel, Palestine, West Bank, Zionism