Israeli authorities say the land registration — the first such process since 1967, when Israel captured the territory — is intended to clarify property rights and resolve legal disputes over land in Area C of the West Bank, which remains under full Israeli control under the Oslo Accords. Officials maintain the measure will provide a “transparent and thorough clarification” of land titles and counter what they describe as unlawful registrations by the Palestinian Authority.

However, the policy’s approval has drawn sharp condemnation from Arab states, international actors, and Palestinian leaders, who argue it undermines Palestinian ownership and paves the way for expanded Israeli control. Egypt’s foreign ministry called the move a “dangerous escalation aimed at consolidating Israeli control over the occupied Palestinian territories,” while Qatar described it as an effort to convert West Bank land into so‑called “state property,” depriving Palestinians of their rights. Jordan also criticised the decision as illegal under international law.

The Palestinian Authority and President Mahmoud Abbas urged urgent international intervention, asserting the land registration constitutes a “de facto annexation of occupied territory” and contradicts United Nations Security Council Resolution 2334, which deems settlements in occupied lands illegal. Palestinian officials said the decision threatens stability and jeopardises prospects for a future two‑state solution by entrenching Israeli institutional control.

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Israeli anti‑settlement group Peace Now called the measure a “mega land grab,” warning that the registration process could result in the dispossession of Palestinians from significant portions of Area C — a sector comprising roughly 60 percent of the West Bank. Critics argue that because many Palestinian land claims date from Ottoman, British, or Jordanian eras and lack formal documentation, the process will favour Israeli claims and expansion of settlements.

International legal experts and rights organisations have echoed concerns that the process may violate international humanitarian law, which prohibits an occupying power from transferring its own civilian population into occupied territories or enacting measures that alter the demographic and legal status of such lands. The United Nations and several countries have previously called for an end to settlement expansion and have described the occupation as illegal under international law — a position Israel disputes.

The land registration decision comes amid a broader context of intensified settlement activity and legal changes in the West Bank. With Israeli elections looming and far‑right ministers backing the policy, the move has inflamed geopolitical sensitivities and injected fresh urgency into debates over sovereignty, territorial rights, and the long‑stalled peace process.

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