TEL AVIV, February 15, 2026 (WAFA) – The Israeli anti-settlement group Peace Now warned that, shortly after U.S. President Donald Trump expressed opposition to Israel’s annexation of the West Bank, the Israeli government has taken steps amounting to de facto annexation.
“President Trump, you said you would not allow annexation. Even as you speak, the Netanyahu government is advancing sweeping decisions that deepen Israeli control in the West Bank and amount to de facto annexation,” said the group in a post on X.
The group emphasized that Israeli government decisions on settlements in the West Bank constitute a massive expropriation of Palestinian lands, noting that land registration measures are expected to transfer ownership of the vast majority of Area C to Israel, effectively depriving Palestinians of any practical ability to exercise their rights.
Peace Now stated that despite Trump’s stated opposition to annexation, the Israeli government is implementing these measures in full view of the U.S. administration. “We warn President Trump - Netanyahu is deceiving you! You said you wouldn’t allow annexation, but he’s carrying it out right under your nose,” Peace Now said.
The group highlighted that the Israeli government approved settlement of West Bank lands and allocated 244 million shekels to processes involving the displacement of thousands of Palestinians. This follows a May 2025 cabinet decision that tasked relevant officials with preparatory work to implement land settlement procedures across the West Bank.
The group stressed that the main consequence of these land settlement measures in Area C is the large-scale dispossession of Palestinians. The group said this affects up to 83 percent of the area, equivalent to about 50 percent of the West Bank, with the land formally registered in the name of the Israeli state.
“The process requires landowners to prove ownership in ways that are almost impossible for most Palestinians to do; if they fail, the land will be automatically registered as state land,” Peace Now asserted.
Peace Now stressed that the registration process represents a clear exercise of sovereignty and annexation, which is prohibited under international law for any occupying power.
The group said that land designated as “state land” is, in practice, public land. The group explained that in independent states, governments manage public land on behalf of all citizens. The group added that in the occupied West Bank, Israel administers these lands exclusively for the benefit of Israeli settlers.
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