Removing All Obstacles to West Bank Annexation
- ACRI
- May 29
- 2 min read
From the beginning, Israel's 37th government has been advancing a series of moves that remove all obstacles preventing the permanent annexation of the West Bank. These actions are fundamentally rooted in the denial of rights for residents of the occupied territory, with the ultimate aim of expelling them (primarily from Area C)—or at least minimizing their presence as much as possible. At the same time, tens of thousands of housing units are being approved and established in settlements, and approvals from the Civil Administration's Supreme Planning Committee are given through an expedited process. Illegal outposts are being established on a daily basis, and they are supported and funded by various authorities, whether directly and indirectly. Enforcement authorities ignore these violations of the law, which impose on Palestinian residents’ freedom of movement and the ability to exercise property ownership rights in the territories.
A position paper written by Attorney Reut Shaer, director of ACRI's Department of Human Rights in the Occupied Territories, discusses the "Anti-Discrimination" Bill for Land Acquisition in the Occupied Territories, the Cabinet decision regarding land registration in the West Bank, as well as the intention to "civilianize" enforcement by transferring powers to the Israel Land Authority. The paper reviews the relevant international laws and emphasizes that the direct application of Knesset legislation to the occupied territory, as well as the decision to appoint Israeli government ministries to deal with land arrangements in the West Bank area and implement government policy there are illegal, beyond the scope of the government’s authority, and constitute the application of sovereignty over these territories. Beyond that, the steps being taken indicate the intention to dispossess the protected residents in the occupied territory.
These new initiatives join existing practices of dispossessing Palestinians from ownership and possession of, and access to, lands in the territories, but are an escalation in terms of the level of dispossession and the annexation of the territories. This policy, if implemented, constitutes a violation of international law and has implications for the rights of the area’s protected residents to self-determination, property, and freedom of movement. The legislative steps and publication of military orders that the government is advancing are expected to enable the State of Israel to fundamentally change land ownership in Area C, and to have a long-term security and political consequences.
The position paper: Changes in Land Ownership Governance in the Occupied Territories: Infringements on Private and Communal Property Rights, May 2025
