Starting the land registration process for an area means that anyone claiming it must provide evidence of ownership. This paves the way for the resolution of court cases over land ownership in the West Bank, suspended since the Six-Day War in 1967, the AP emphasized.
What territory does Israel register?
What does Mahmoud Abbas think about land registration?
What does Zone C cover?
Who proposed land registration?
The government's decision includes the so-called Area C, an area in the West Bank created in 1995 as part of the Oslo Accords, which was to be gradually transferred to Palestinian administration. Zone C covers an area of approximately 60 percent. West Bank and under full control of the Israeli army.
Annexation of the West Bank. Peace Now warns
The land registration proposal was put forward by some of the far-right members of the ruling coalition in Israel, including Justice Minister Yariv Lewin. The coalition includes several ministers representing the interests of Jewish settlers who seek the annexation of the West Bank. The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement, without providing evidence, that the Palestinian Authority “promotes illegal land registration procedures in Area C”, and the decision is intended to introduce greater transparency and help resolve land disputes.
Hagit Ofran from the Israeli non-governmental organization Peace Now, quoted by AP, warned that the approved change “will allow the (Israeli) state to gain control over almost the entire Area C.”
“Palestinians will be required to prove land ownership in a way they are unable to cope with. Thanks to this, Israel can take over more than 83 percent of Area C, or about half of the West Bank,” she emphasized. According to her, land registration may start this year.
Palestinian Authority Leader: Serious Escalation
Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas condemned the Israeli authorities' action in a statement as a “serious escalation and flagrant violation of international law” and a “de facto annexation.” He called on the US administration and the UN Security Council to intervene immediately.
In recent months, Israel has stepped up efforts to increase its control over the West Bank, including significantly expanding construction projects in Jewish settlements and introducing legal changes aimed at weakening the authority of the Palestinian Authority in the territory.
Approximately 3 million Palestinians and over 700,000 people live in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Israelis. Israel captured these territories in the Six-Day War and has occupied them ever since. The Palestinians plan to create, among others, in these areas of their future state.
