Enemy war cabinet approves annexation decisions in WB, declassifies land registry
This will lead to profound changes in land administration and registration in the West Bank, deepen the annexation plan, and allow for the demolition of Palestinian-owned buildings in what are designated as Area A.
According to the official Palestinian news agency, these decisions, pushed by the Israeli Enemy Minister of War, Yisrael Katz, and the Minister of Finance, Bezalel Smotrich, aim for a significant expansion of settlements. Their cancellation would be fraught with legal complications.
One of these decisions pertains to declassifying the land registry in the West Bank, making it public and allowing access to the names of landowners, enabling direct contact with them to purchase their land.
These decisions, approved by the Israeli cabinet, contradict the 1997 Hebron Agreement. The Israeli government seeks to implement its plan to annex the occupied West Bank before the Israeli elections scheduled for next October.
Another decision calls for legislation that would abolish the ban on selling land in the West Bank to non-Arabs, eliminate the requirement for approval of real estate transactions, and allow Israeli settlers to purchase land personally, not just through companies. It would also remove the current requirement that Jews in general, and settlers in particular, purchase real estate, thus enabling them to buy land freely and without bureaucratic procedures.
According to these decisions, the Israeli authorities will transfer the power to issue building permits in Hebron, including for the Ibrahimi Mosque/Cave of the Patriarchs, from the Hebron Municipality to the Civil Administration of the Israeli army, which is under the authority of the Israeli Minister of War, Smotrich. This decision will lead to the expansion of settlements in Hebron and effectively nullify the Hebron Agreement.
Under the Zionist decisions, the settlement outpost in Hebron will be transformed into an independent local authority. This will also apply to the Bilal bin Rabah Mosque in Bethlehem, which will be separated from the Bethlehem municipality through the establishment of a “local authority directorate.” This will effectively annex the area to the lands occupied by the Israeli entity.
Furthermore, the Zionist war ministers (the cabinet) approved the imposition of oversight and enforcement measures against buildings constructed without permits in so-called Areas A and B, claiming they encroach upon heritage and archaeological sites. This means that the Israeli enemy will be able to seize Palestinian lands and demolish buildings.