Israel moves to grab 50% of West Bank with new land policy

The Israeli government has approved a controversial new land registration policy in the occupied West Bank , a move critics warn could lead to large-scale Palestinian land loss and a major shift in territorial control. The process, frozen since Israel captured the territory in the 1967 Mideast War , requires anyone claiming ownership to submit formal documents, a demand that Palestinians and rights groups say most families cannot realistically meet .

Israeli watchdog Peace Now described the decision as a “mega land grab” , warning it could enable Israel to take control of up to 83 per cent of Area C , which makes up about 60 per cent of the West Bank . This would translate into nearly 50 per cent of the entire West Bank effectively becoming Israeli state land. Peace Now’s Settlement Watch director Hagit Ofran said the ownership verification process is often opaque, complex, and draconian , disadvantaging Palestinians who rely on Ottoman-era deeds, Jordanian tax records, or customary inheritance arrangements that Israeli authorities frequently do not recognise.

Under the 1995 Oslo Accords , the West Bank was divided into Areas A, B, and C. While the Palestinian Authority administers limited and fragmented areas in A and B, Area C remains under full Israeli civil and military control . Although this division was intended to be temporary, Israel continues to exercise overall authority over borders, airspace, movement, and security across the territory. More than 300,000 Palestinians live in Area C, with many more dependent on its agricultural and grazing lands, while over 700,000 Israelis reside in settlements across the West Bank and east Jerusalem, territories widely considered illegal under international law.

Human rights groups say the policy exploits the fact that around 70 per cent of West Bank land remains unregistered , largely because formal registration was halted after 1967. This leaves Palestinians highly vulnerable, as many families lack modern legal documentation. Similar land registration drives in east Jerusalem since 2018 resulted in only about one per cent of registered land remaining in Palestinian hands , with the rest transferred to Israeli authorities or settlers.

The Palestinian Authority condemned the move as a “grave escalation and violation of international law,” warning it could trigger mass land confiscation, displacement, home demolitions, and economic devastation . President Mahmoud Abbas called it “de facto annexation” and urged intervention by the UN, US, EU, and Arab states.