The Israeli government approved a proposal on Sunday 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.
The public broadcaster KAN said the proposal was submitted by far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, Justice Minister Yariv Levin, and Defense Minister Israel Katz.
"The initial goal is the gradual settlement of 15% of Area C by 2030," Israel Hayom newspaper commented ahead of the government decision.
Under the Oslo II Accord signed in 1995, Area A is under full Palestinian control, Area B is under Palestinian civil control and Israeli security control, while Area C, accounting for about 61% of the West Bank, remains under full Israeli control.
According to the paper, the main implication of the government decision is "the conversion of very large areas into state land, provided that no other ownership is proven."
"In this sense, even in the absence of a political decision to apply the law, Israel significantly strengthens its hold on the land by registering plots that are not owned by other parties in the land registry," it added.
The Oslo II Accord limits land registration by the Palestinian Authority to Areas A and B, while prohibiting it in Area C.
If approved, the Israeli government's Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) will be responsible for organizing and registering land ownership in Area C.
The process includes issuing sale permits, collecting fees, and overseeing registration procedures, while preventing the Palestinian Authority from carrying out such tasks in those areas.
The move is part of a series of measures approved by Israel's Security Cabinet last week aimed at expanding illegal settlement building and increasing Tel Aviv's control of the occupied West Bank.
According to Israeli media, the measures include repealing a law that barred the sale of land in the West Bank to illegal Israeli settlers, unsealing land ownership records, and shifting authority for building permits in a settlement bloc near Hebron from a Palestinian municipality to Israel's civil administration.
Israel has intensified operations in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, since launching its military campaign in Gaza on Oct. 8, 2023. Palestinians view the escalation -- including killings, arrests, displacement and settlement expansion -- as a step toward formal annexation of the territory.
In a landmark opinion in July 2024, the International Court of Justice declared Israel's occupation of Palestinian territory illegal and called for the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
