Israel accused of ‘mega theft’ of Palestinian land with new registration process

This would allow Israel to take ownership of land in Area C which makes up about 60 per cent of the occupied West Bank

A Palestinian family passes through a metal gate set up by the Israeli military in the occupied West Bank. AFP

As Donald Trump and Gulf leaders try to chart a way out of the war in Gaza, Israel's far-right government has taken steps in recent days that could pose a serious threat to a future Palestinian state.

In the West Bank, Israel’s security cabinet passed a land registration process in what is known as Area C – a region in which Israel has full military and civil control under the Oslo Accords. This was followed by an announcement by the government that it will hold an unprecedented cabinet meeting in a settlement in occupied East Jerusalem to mark Jerusalem Day.

The new land registration process would mean that Israel can irreversibly determine the ownership of land. Area C makes up about 60 per cent per cent of the West Bank’s territory.

The moves affecting the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem are the latest in a decades-long encroachment into Palestinian territory that has accelerated during the Gaza war.

Campaigners have described the move as a “mega theft of Palestinian lands”. International law forbids an occupying power – in this instance Israel − from determining who land belongs to, according to Israeli NGO Peace Now.

A fence put up by Israeli forces around the Palestinian village of Sinjil, in the occupied West Bank. AFP

It said the decision would result in “massive dispossession of Palestinians from most of their lands in Area C” and “a process of annexation”. It added that entering Israeli citizens into the land registry would also lead to “legal complications and enormous costs when a two-state political settlement is reached”.

A two-state solution remains the preferred way to end the Israel-Palestine conflict by many international powers, including close Israeli allies. Israel’s military ordered the freezing of land registration shortly after beginning an occupation in 1967 which continues to this day.

The latest decision was lauded by ministers in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right coalition, in which some senior figures live in illegal settlements in the West Bank. Full-blown annexation of the region is a frequently stated goal of many.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a leader in the settler movement, said the move means “Israel is taking responsibility for the territory as a permanent sovereign”.

Defence Minister Israel Katz said the purpose of the registration process was “to strengthen, consolidate and expand settlement in [the West Bank]”.

Meeting in East Jerusalem

Two days later, the government said it would hold a cabinet meeting in an East Jerusalem settlement to celebrate Jerusalem Day. The Israeli holiday marks the moment the country took full control of Jerusalem in 1967.

The Jerusalem Day holiday covers the evening of May 25 and May 26.

The event, which will take place in the Palestinian area of Silwan, was reportedly discouraged by the internal security service Shin Bet, who were concerned about whether they could secure the site.

The ultranationalist Jerusalem Day Flag march in 2022. AFP

Mr Netanyahu’s office dismissed the report, saying that the government “is proud to hold its special meeting to mark Jerusalem Day in the City of David − the cradle of our national heritage and the heart of our united and eternal capital”.

City of David National Park, where the meeting is set to take place, is run by settler group Elad.

Israeli encroachment into Palestinian territory in East Jerusalem has fuelled clashes in the past, including on Jerusalem Day. This involves an ultranationalist rally through the Muslim Quarter of the Old City, and has seen Israeli far-right and police violence against Palestinians in recent years.