Illegal Jewish settlers set up an outpost in the occupied West Bank. (Photo: via WAFA)
Israel is accelerating its annexation of the West Bank through legal maneuvers that grant settlers direct ownership of Palestinian land.
Originally published in The Palestine Chronicle.
There are multiple methods and tools Israel employs for annexing West Bank lands, including legal and judicial amendments that facilitate the annexation process.
The Israeli Ministerial Committee for Legislation recently approved a draft law allowing settlers to purchase and own lands in the occupied West Bank, signaling an acceleration of efforts to annex the territory.
The bill, supported by the Religious Zionism Party led by extremist Minister Bezalel Smotrich, is set to be put to a vote in the Knesset General Assembly.
The Israeli movement “Peace Now” warned in a statement last week that the draft law represents another step toward annexation initiated by the right-wing government.
The movement emphasized that the legislation seeks to enable settlers to buy lands without oversight throughout the West Bank, effectively transforming them into permanent landowners.
“The bill would give a small number of extremist settlers the ability to acquire land and later establish settlements, whether in the heart of Hebron or anywhere else,” the statement said.
The movement also asserted that the Knesset lacks the authority to enact laws in areas not under Israeli sovereignty. Any attempt to impose Knesset-enacted laws on occupied territories constitutes annexation and a blatant violation of international law.
The Israeli right is banking on the approval of US President Donald Trump, who, during his previous term, endorsed Israel’s annexation of parts of the West Bank under the so-called Deal of the Century plan.
In response to this law, many voices have provocatively called on the Palestinian Authority to declare the Oslo Accords null and void, as the legislation represents a clear declaration of the agreement’s invalidity.
Catastrophic Consequences
Observers warn that this law will enable illegal Jewish settlers, who have a history of forcefully seizing Palestinian property through intimidation, to engage in widespread land forgery and theft.
This could lead to the registration of stolen lands and the construction of settlement outposts, further disrupting the prospect of a Palestinian state.
The law exempts settlers from obtaining purchase permits, requiring only a real estate transaction license—a purely procedural formality.
Raed Muqadi, a researcher at the Land Research Center, told the Palestine Chronicle that the Israeli Civil Administration, in coordination with the extremist Israeli government, has spent the past three years amending and enacting laws to facilitate and accelerate settlement expansion in the West Bank.
“This began with the control of so-called state lands and culminated in changes to provisions and laws designed to allow settlers to own property in the West Bank,” Muqadi told us.
He added that while land acquisition was previously conducted through settlement associations, the new law permits settlers to own land directly.
Muqadi warned that these changes will have severe consequences, including the facilitation of land control by settlers, the expansion of settlements, and the removal of legal obstacles in Israeli courts regarding land ownership disputes.
“This is a dangerous decision that will have catastrophic consequences for the lives of Palestinians in the West Bank,” he concluded.
“Must Be Confronted”
The law, in its current form, violates international norms and is effectively a step toward annexing the occupied West Bank.
It legitimizes illegal settlers as landowners rather than recognizing them as trespassers on Palestinian territory.
Anti-settlement activist Bashar Al-Qaryouti highlighted that settlers are exploiting the legal vacuum and the absence of human rights oversight to seize Palestinian lands and establish settlement outposts.
Al-Qaryouti pointed out that the lack of follow-up on land seizure cases, due to the absence of proper identification documents, has resulted in the loss of Palestinian lands and facilitated settler control.
“This law must be confronted through all legal, field, and national means,” he told us. He also noted the challenges Palestinians face in registering lands and obtaining identification papers, as well as the high fees associated with issuing land titles.
Al-Qaryouti called for rigorous oversight of official documents and high-level follow-up on every case of land confiscation or seizure by settlers.
“The Knesset’s approval means that most lands in Area C will be registered under settlers’ names, effectively annexing and seizing the West Bank,” he explained.
Fayha’ Shalash is a Ramallah-based Palestinian journalist. She graduated from Birzeit University in 2008 and she has been working as a reporter and broadcaster ever since. Her articles appeared in several online publications. She contributed this article to The Palestine Chronicle.
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