DW News · Feb 15, 2026 · Collected from RSS
The move, which eases land purchases for Israeli settlers anywhere in the occupied West Bank, has sparked international criticism. The Palestinian Authority describes it as de facto annexation.
Israel's government on Sunday approved a contentious plan to make it easier for Israeli settlers to purchase land in the occupied West Bank and further sideline Palestinian authorities. Under the decision, Israeli authorities will announce certain areas to undergo registration, requiring anyone claiming the land to prove ownership, even though ownership of the biggest part of West Bank land has never been formally registered. The decision, endorsed earlier by Israel’s security cabinet, allows private Israeli citizens to buy land and also shifts parts of the administration in the territory from the military to civilian authorities. The Palestinian Authority rejected the move, which marks the first formal land-registration process in the West Bank since 1967. It also sparked criticism from the European Union and several Arab states. Germany condemned the security cabinet’s earlier approval last week, with a Foreign Ministry spokesperson calling the measures "a further step towards de facto annexation" and saying they violate international law.Far‑right ministers welcome the move Talking to broadcaster N12, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz described Sunday's approval as "a significant security and administrative step aimed at ensuring full control, enforcement and freedom of action for the State of Israel in the area." Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said the government was "continuing the revolution in settlement policy and control over all parts of our country." He added that, for the first time since Israel captured the West Bank and East Jerusalem in the 1967 Six Day War, the government was "restoring order and governance" to land administration. He referred to the Palestinian territory as "Judea and Samaria," the term some Israelis use for the West Bank. More than 700,000 Israeli settlers live in the West Bank and East Jerusalem alongside roughly 3 million Palestinians. The West Bank is among the territories that the Palestinians seek for a future independent state. According to the Times of Israel, most of the new land registration rules apply to the West Bank's Area C, where Israel has full military and civilian control. The newspaper said two-thirds of West Bank land has never been formally registered, including most of Area C. However, the easing of rules about private land purchases by Israelis and the publication of land registries for the first time, applies beyond Area C, to the broader territory.Work for West Bank Palestinians increasingly restrictedTo view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video PA, Peace Now condemns ‘massive land theft’ The Palestinian Authority, which runs the rest of the West Bank, said the move constitutes "a de facto annexation of occupied Palestinian territory," which it said was "aimed at entrenching the occupation through illegal settlement activity." The Israeli advocacy group Peace Now denounced the government’s decision, saying it amounted to "authorization for a massive theft of land in the West Bank on the way to de facto annexation." In a statement, the group accused the Israeli government of ignoring international law and dismissing criticism from allied countries, warning that the policy was "dragging us into disaster." The United Nations' highest court said in a non-binding advisory opinion in 2024 that Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories and settlements there are illegal and should be ended as soon as possible. Israel disputes this view, claiming historical and biblical ties to the land. Edited by: Louis Oelofse