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Palestinians: New Israeli measures in West Bank constitute de facto annexation

2026-02-09 20:41:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Palestinians, Arab countries and Israeli anti-occupation groups have condemned new steps approved by Israel's security cabinet for the West Bank, saying they constitute de facto annexation.

The far-right Israeli Finance Minister, Bezalel Smotrich, announced measures that would make it easier for Jewish settlers to occupy Palestinian land.

The measures, which are expected to be approved by Israel's top military commander for the West Bank, aim to increase Israeli control over the territory in terms of property law, planning, licensing and enforcement. They were announced three days before a meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump in Washington.

Last year, settlements in the West Bank expanded at the fastest pace since monitoring began, the United Nations said.

The new Israeli measures include lifting a decade-old ban on the direct sale of West Bank land to Jews and declassifying local land registry records.

Israeli ministers presented the change as “a step that will increase transparency and facilitate land redemption.” The cabinet also decided to repeal a legal requirement for a transaction permit to complete any real estate purchase, thereby reducing oversight aimed at preventing fraud.

Palestinians said they feared the changes would lead to more pressure on individuals to sell, as well as acts of counterfeiting and fraud.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas - who heads the Palestinian Authority (PA) and governs parts of the West Bank - called the measures "dangerous" and an "open Israeli attempt to legalize settlement expansion, land confiscation and demolition of Palestinian property, even in areas under Palestinian sovereignty". He called for the US and the UN Security Council to intervene immediately.

In a strongly worded joint statement, the foreign ministers of Egypt, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Pakistan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar condemned Israel's announcement, describing it as "accelerating efforts for the illegal annexation and displacement of the Palestinian people."

The Trump administration has ruled out annexation of the West Bank by Israel, but has not attempted to stop Israel's accelerated settlement construction.

In December, the Israeli cabinet approved a proposal for 19 new settlements. Israel is also preparing to begin construction on a controversial settlement project near Jerusalem, known as E1, which would effectively divide the northern and southern West Bank.

According to the UN, a record number of more than 37,000 Palestinians were displaced in 2025 alone - a year that also reportedly saw record levels of violence by Israeli settlers.

Netanyahu's ruling coalition includes many pro-settler members who want Israel to annex the West Bank, to which they claim religious and historical ties.

The prime minister, who faces elections later this year, has declared that he will never support the creation of a Palestinian state, which he said would pose a threat to his country's security.

In 2024, the International Court of Justice - the UN's highest court - issued a non-binding advisory opinion that Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories was illegal and should end. /CNA