Rabat – Israel’s security cabinet passed on late Sunday a series of measures that will fundamentally remove what Israeli ministers refer to as “legal obstacles” against the expansion of illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank.
The framework pushed by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Defence Minister Israel Katz expands Israel’s already crushing power over occupied lands and essentially encourages settlers to seize Palestinian land.
International law regards all settlements as illegal. Peace Now, an Israeli NGO, accused the Israeli government of “breaking every possible barrier on the path to massive land theft in the West Bank.”
“We will continue to kill the idea of a Palestinian state,” Far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said of the new legislation.
Palestinians and legal experts warn that the measures would ultimately terminate the 1993 Oslo Accords, completely strip the Palestinian Authority (PA) of any remaining civil powers, and legislate the de facto annexation of the West Bank.
A Race for Land
Smotrich and Katz’s policy lays bare the heart of Israel’s strategic assault on land ownership laws that have been in place since 1967, when Israel occupied Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem thereafter annexing the territories.
The Yesha Council, a gathering of illegal settlements, celebrated the decision as the “most important in 58 years,” claiming that the Israeli government is now openly declaring that “the land of Israel belongs to the Jewish people.”
Israel’s cabinet approved the cancellation of Jordanian law that prohibited the sale of land in the West Bank to non-Arabs, while also exposing the identities of Palestinian landowners. Lifting the secrecy on land registry records now gives settlers information to target specific individuals to extort for land deals.
An Al Jazeera correspondent in Hebron reported an immediate spike in settler violence following the announcement.
Israel also hopes to institutionalize a “municipal apartheid” in cities like Hebron, and transfers the building licensing of the Ibrahimi Mosque and other former Musim holy sites solely to Israeli authorities.
Most aggressively, the policies authorize Israeli forces to conduct enforcement and demolitions in Area A and B zones designated by the Oslo Accords to be under Palestinian civil and security control.
The move essentially eliminates distinctions between Areas, A, B, and C. The Oslo Accords already gave Israel total control of Area C, which constitutes 60% of the West Bank
The UN reported a record number of 37,000 Palestinians displaced in 2025 alone, a year that they also reported record-highs of Israeli settler violence.
International Response
The Foreign Ministers of eight Muslim majority countries – Egypt, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Pakistan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar – said the announcement accelerates Israel’s “illegal annexation and the displacement of the Palestinian people.”
In a joint statement, they warned against the “continued expansionist Israeli policies and illegal measures pursued by the Israeli government in the occupied West Bank, which fuel violence and conflict in the region.”
The UK also came out against the decision, issuing a statement that describes the move as an unjustifiable violation of international law.
“The UK strongly condemns the Israeli security cabinet’s decision yesterday to expand Israeli control over the West Bank,” reads the statement. “Any unilateral attempt to alter the geographic or demographic make-up of Palestine is wholly unacceptable and would be inconsistent with international law. We call on Israel to reverse these decisions immediately.”
Spain’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs denounced Israel’s plans as “contrary to internal law” and threatens to instigate even more violence in Gaza.
“The Spanish Government urges the Israeli Government to comply with its obligations as an occupying power under the Fourth Geneva Convention, and to put an end to its expansionist offensive and the impunity that protects the settlers,” the Foreign Ministry said.
The European Union also issued on Monday a statement condemning “recent decisions by Israel’s security cabinet to expand Israeli control in the West Bank. This move is another step in the wrong direction.”
Despite growing global disapproval, global action remains elusive.
Israeli forces have killed at least 586 Palestinians and wounded 1,558 in Gaza since the October 10 “ceasefire,” according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
The total number of people killed during Israel’s genocide on Gaza since October 7, 2023 has reached 72,037, with 171,666 wounded.
Proceeding Trump’s First Board of Peace Meeting
The Trump Administration also signalled its disapproval of Israel’s annexation of the occupied West Bank, with this coming two days before Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are scheduled to meet in the US.
“A stable West Bank keeps Israel secure, and is in line with this administration’s goal to achieve peace in the region,” a White House Official said Monday.
According to the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper, Smotrich and Katz pushed to ratify these decisions immediately prior to the upcoming visit. Analysts believe these pushes are meant to establish irreversible “facts on the ground.”
While Trump and Netanyahu are scheduled to discuss Iran, Trump’s first Board of Peace Meeting on February 19 will focus on fundraising the reconstruction of Gaza.
Initial members include the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Qatar, Bahrain, Pakistan, Turkey, Hungary, Morocco, Kosovo, Albania, Bulgaria, Argentina, Paraguay, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Uzbekistan, Indonesia and Vietnam.
If Netanyahu decides to join, it will be his first meeting with Arab and Muslim leaders since the start of Israel’s war on Gaza on October 7, 2023.
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