Israel Registers West Bank Land

Israel's government has approved a process to register land in the West Bank as 'state property', a move that has drawn widespread international condemnation from Arab nations, the European Union, and the United Nations. Critics, including the Palestine — Palestinian Authority and Israeli anti-settlement watchdog Peace Now, view this as a 'mega land grab' and a de facto annexation that violates international law and undermines the prospects for a two-state solution. The process will primarily affect Area C, which constitutes about 60% of the West Bank and is under Israeli security and administrative control. Entities like Egypt, Qatar, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Indonesia, Pakistan, and the United Arab Emirates have issued strong condemnations, warning of accelerated settlement expansion and land confiscation. UN Secretary-General António Guterres and UN rights chief Volker Türk have also expressed concerns about the destabilizing effect and the permanent demographic changes in the occupied Palestinian territory. While US President Donald Trump has previously opposed annexation, he has not directly criticized these latest measures. The decision follows other recent steps by Israel to tighten its control over the West Bank, including allowing Jewish Israelis to buy West Bank land directly.