The cabinet authorized on Sunday the opening of a land registration process in the West Bank for the first time since 1967, with the ministers who initiated the measure saying it would enable the registration of broad swaths of land as state land available for Israeli development. The resolution authorized an initial budget of NIS 244 million ($79 million) for the land registration process in the years 2026 to 2030 in Area C of the West Bank, where Israel has full military and civilian control, and the establishment of 35 positions in various ministries and state agencies to conduct the registration work.
The explanatory text of the resolution noted, however, that the registration process will be lengthy and take at least a year and a half for every plot of land, if not more, and that registering all non-registered land in Area C could take up to 30 years. The process of establishing the registration mechanisms could itself take a year and a half, the resolution stated, but nevertheless set a goal of registering 15 percent of the unregistered land within five years. The Palestinian presidency condemned the step, saying it constitutes “a de facto annexation of occupied Palestinian territory and a declaration of the commencement of annexation plans aimed at entrenching the occupation through illegal settlement activity.”
Jordan’s Foreign Ministry, in a statement, called on the international community to “assume its legal and moral responsibilities, and to compel Israel, the occupying power, to stop its dangerous escalation.” Defense Minister Israel Katz, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, and Justice Minister Yariv Levin lauded the decision, saying it will create legal certainty in the territory and protect the national interest.
...The cabinet ministers who initiated the new land registry process extolled the cabinet decision. “The resolution constitutes a real revolution in Judea and Samaria,” said Justice Minister Levin, using the biblical term for the West Bank. “The Land of Israel belongs to the people of Israel. The Israeli government is committed to deepening its grip on all parts [of the land], and this decision is an expression of that commitment. (Ed note: The so called "West Bank" Hesed Olam, is located in the area really named Samaria and is at this time more of a place than a town.) (Read More)
