Israeli
security cabinet approves rules to increase control over West Bank
On
February 8, 2026, the Israeli security cabinet approved a series of sweeping
administrative and enforcement measures designed to significantly deepen
Israeli control over the occupied West Bank. Proponents, including Finance
Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Defense Minister Israel Katz, characterized the
move as a way to "anchor settlement" as inseparable from government
policy and to "bury the idea of a Palestinian state".
The
approved measures include:
Land
Acquisition: Repealing a decades-old Jordanian law that prohibited the sale of
land to non-Arabs, allowing Jewish individuals and companies to purchase land
directly.
Declassification
of Records: Lifting the long-standing secrecy of land registry records to ease
land identification and acquisition.
Expansion
of Authority: Shifting planning and permit authority for sensitive sites, such
as certain areas in Hebron, from the Palestinian Authority to Israeli civil
administration.
Enforcement
in Areas A and B: Granting Israeli authorities the power to enforce
environmental, archaeological, and building rules—including home demolitions—in
areas previously under Palestinian civil control.
Proactive
Land Purchases: Reviving a committee dedicated to proactive state land
purchases to secure reserves for future settlement expansion.
International
and Local Reactions
Palestinian
Authority: Condemned the measures as "dangerous" and a "de facto
annexation" that effectively terminates the Oslo Accords and wipes out the
two-state solution.
United
Nations: Secretary-General António Guterres expressed grave concern, stating
the moves are "eroding the prospects for the two-state solution" and
are "unlawful" under international law.
Global
Condemnation: Governments from the UK, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and other
Muslim-majority nations have called on Israel to reverse the decision
immediately.
United
States: While President Trump has previously ruled out annexation, a White
House official reiterated opposition to these latest steps, emphasizing the
need for a stable West Bank
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