RAMALLAH, May 17, 2025 (WAFA) – In a move viewed as a significant escalation, the Israeli government has approved the resumption of its “Land Settlement Plan” in the occupied West Bank, raising concerns among Palestinian officials and human rights advocates over the potential acceleration of annexation efforts.
According to a report released Saturday by the National Office for the Defense of Land and Resistance of Settlements, the Israeli Security and Political Cabinet gave the green light last Sunday to proceed with the land settlement and registration process in the West Bank. The plan, previously suspended, is seen as a legal and administrative foundation for the eventual annexation of large areas classified as Area C under the Oslo Accords.
The report warns that this decision is part of a broader strategy by the Israeli government to expedite control over Palestinian territories, portraying Palestinian land registration efforts as “illegal attempts” to seize land. The approved plan explicitly invalidates all documents, maps, and approvals issued by the Palestinian Authority (PA) regarding these lands and authorizes Israeli security forces to block further PA land registration efforts, restrict the entry of professionals into these areas, and disrupt foreign funding intended for such projects.
The Palestinian Authority began its own land registration initiative in 2006 with Finnish government support, in what was the first Palestinian-led settlement process. However, the project faced setbacks and has remained limited in scope.
The Israeli move stands in stark contrast to international resolutions, including the 2003 Road Map for Peace, which called for a freeze on settlement expansion, and UN Security Council Resolution 2334 (2016), which reaffirmed the illegality of Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territory. It also defies the 2024 advisory opinion by the International Court of Justice demanding an end to the occupation and settlement activity.
The report states that the resumption of the Land Settlement Plan aims to legitimize previous land seizures and facilitate further expansion of Israeli settlements. Since the early years of the occupation in 1967, Israel has used legal and bureaucratic tools, such as Military Order 291 of 1968, to freeze Palestinian land registration and open the door to disputes over remaining unregistered lands – which constitute about 66% of the West Bank.
The current plan builds upon policies set in motion by the 1979 Israeli government decision (Decision 145), which identified areas for settlement construction, and the establishment of the Civil Administration's Central Inspection Unit in 1983, designed to monitor construction and explore legal justifications for land confiscation.
Although limited by the Oslo Accords to work within Area C, the Civil Administration has continued its operations with the goal of legalizing settlements and preventing legal challenges to Israeli land claims. In 2016, the Israeli Knesset passed the “Regulation Law,” granting legal status to settlements built on private Palestinian land, despite strong opposition from rights organizations and Palestinian communities.
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