Israeli approval of West Bank land registration draws outrage

Israel's authorities has approved a process to registry onshore successful the West Bank arsenic "state property", drafting condemnation from Arab nations and critics who said it would accelerate annexation of the Palestinian territory.

Israel's Foreign Ministry said the measure, approved precocious connected Sunday (February 15, 2026), would alteration "transparent and thorough clarification of rights to resoluteness ineligible disputes" and was needed aft unlawful onshore registration successful areas controlled by the Palestinian Authority.

But Egypt, Qatar and Jordan criticised the determination arsenic amerciable nether planetary law.

In a statement, the Egyptian authorities called it a "dangerous escalation aimed astatine consolidating Israeli power implicit the occupied Palestinian territories".

Qatar's Foreign Ministry condemned the "decision to person West Bank lands into alleged 'state property'," saying it would "deprive the Palestinian radical of their rights".

The Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority called for planetary involution to forestall the "de facto opening of the annexation process and the undermining of the foundations of the Palestinian state".

Israeli anti-settlement watchdog Peace Now called the measurement a "mega onshore grab".

Jonathan Mizrachi, the Israeli NGO's co-director, told AFP connected Monday (February 16, 2026) that the measurement would property caller resources for onshore registration successful the occupied West Bank.

The process volition instrumentality spot lone successful Area C, which constitutes immoderate 60% of West Bank territory and is nether Israeli information and administrative control.

"There was a batch of ambiguity regarding the land, and Israel decided present to woody with it," helium said, adding that the existing ambiguity implicit Area C onshore ownership is apt to beryllium utilized against Palestinians.

"A batch of onshore that Palestinians see theirs, they volition find retired it's not theirs nether this caller registration process," helium said, adding the determination volition further the Israeli right's annexation agenda.

Changing demography

Palestinians spot the West Bank arsenic foundational to immoderate aboriginal Palestinian state, but galore connected Israel's spiritual close privation to instrumentality implicit the land.

Last week, Israel's information furniture approved a bid of measures backed by far-right Ministers to tighten power implicit areas of the West Bank administered by the Palestinian Authority nether the Oslo accords, successful spot since the 1990s.

Those measures, which besides sparked planetary backlash, see allowing Jewish Israelis to bargain West Bank onshore straight and allowing Israeli authorities to administer definite spiritual sites successful areas nether the Palestinian Authority's control.

Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967.

The latest Israeli initiatives travel amid a wider discourse of expanding attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinians successful the territory, according to rights groups.

"We are witnessing accelerated steps to alteration permanently the demography of the occupied Palestinian territory, stripping its radical of their lands and forcing them to leave," UN rights main Volker Turk said successful a caller statement.

U.S. President Donald Trump has opposed Israel's annexation of the West Bank, saying stableness successful the territory helps support Israel secure.

However, Mr. Trump has held disconnected from straight criticising the latest Israeli measures, contempt the planetary outrage.

Excluding Israeli-annexed eastbound Jerusalem, much than 500,000 Israelis unrecorded successful West Bank settlements and outposts, which are amerciable nether planetary law.

Around 3 cardinal Palestinians unrecorded successful the territory, which Israeli has occupied since 1967.