The cabinet authorizes the opening of a land registration process in the West Bank for the first time since 1967, which ministers who initiated the step say will enable the registration of broad swaths of land to the state. The terms of the cabinet resolution, initiated by the defense, finance, and justice ministers, authorize the Land Registration Authority in the Justice Ministry to carry out the land registration process, and it now will receive the necessary funding and manpower for this work.
An official from the Peace Now organization says that although in theory there could be a fair land registration process for all parties in the West Bank, it would be very hard under current conditions for Palestinians to prove and assert ownership claims. This, he says, will likely lead to the declaration of hundreds of thousands of dunams of land in the territory as state land, meaning it will be available to Israel for the development of settlements, infrastructure, and transportation.
While state land is supposed to be managed for the benefit of all civilians, Israel makes it available almost exclusively for settlers. “The government has approved a massive land grab in the West Bank on the way to de facto annexation, in complete contradiction to the will of the people and the Israeli interest,” Peace Now says in response to the decision. Addressing US President Donald Trump, he says Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is “annexing [the West Bank] right under your nose. (Ed note: Giv'at Ze'ev is about 3 miles northwest of Jerusalem, located just off highway 443, and they say it's about a 10 minute bus ride. The land is considered a part of Judea.) (Read More)
