Israel launches new West Bank land policy seen as a ‘mega land grab’
West Bank land registration will force anyone who has a claim to land to prove ownership, a move decried by Palestinians
Israel will begin a contentious land regulation process in a large part of the occupied West Bank, which could result in Israel gaining control over wide swathes of the area for future development, according to a government decision on Sunday.
It paves the way for the resumption of “settlement of land title” processes, which had been frozen in the West Bank since the Mideast War in 1967. It means that when Israel begins the land registration process for a certain area, anyone with a claim to the land must submit documents proving ownership.
The Israeli anti-settlement group Peace Now said the process likely amounts to a “mega land grab” from Palestinians.
“This move is very dramatic and allows the state to gain control of almost all of Area C,” said Hagit Ofran, the director of Peace Now’s Settlement Watch programme. Area C refers to the 60 per cent of the West Bank that is under full Israeli military control, according to agreements reached in the 1990s with the Palestinians.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’ office in a statement called the decision “a grave escalation and a flagrant violation of international law”, which amounts to “de facto annexation”. It called on the international community, especially the UN Security Council and the United States, to intervene immediately.