India Surreptitiously Adds Its Name to Global Condemnation of Israel’s West Bank Land Grab Plan

India has quietly aligned itself with over 100 countries and international organisations condemning Israel’s land registration policy in the occupied West Bank , days after staying away from the initial joint statement issued on February 17 by 80 nations.

The statement, released by the Permanent Observer Mission of Palestine to the United Nations , “strongly condemns unilateral Israeli decisions and measures aimed at expanding Israel’s unlawful presence in the West Bank” and rejects “any form of annexation.” India was notably absent when the first condemnation was issued on February 17 , joining only after the list of signatories expanded, a move diplomats described as carefully calibrated to ensure low visibility .

At the heart of the controversy is Israel’s land registration drive, frozen since the territory was captured in 1967 . Under the new policy, Palestinians are required to produce formal ownership documents within a limited timeframe. Human rights groups say the process effectively amounts to a prove it or lose it doctrine , arguing that most Palestinian families rely on Ottoman era deeds, Jordanian tax records, or customary inheritance systems that Israeli authorities often do not recognise. Land left unregistered is liable to be declared state land , shifting control decisively to Israel.

India’s decision also follows a subsequent United Nations Security Council meeting on February 19 , where 14 of the 15 members, excluding the United States , criticised Israel’s West Bank measures as undermining prospects for a two state solution . The debate unfolded alongside former US President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace meeting on February 20 , a parallel diplomatic initiative that has raised concerns about sidelining established UN mechanisms.

This positioning gains added significance as Prime Minister Narendra Modi prepares to visit Israel on February 25 and 26 . Whether he conveys India’s condemnation directly to his hosts remains to be seen.