Bethlehem / PNN/
The Israeli cabinet approved on Sunday decisions set to bring about far-reaching changes to land administration and registration in the occupied West Bank, deepening the annexation plan and enabling the demolition of Palestinian-owned buildings in Area A.
The decisions, promoted by Defense Minister Yisrael Katz and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, aim for a significant expansion of settlements, making their reversal fraught with legal complications.
According to Israeli media outlets that reviewed the decision, one of the measures involves removing the secrecy surrounding the West Bank land registry, making it public and allowing access to the names of Palestinian landowners and enabling direct contact with them to purchase their land.
The decisions approved by the cabinet contradict the 1997 Hebron Agreement. Reports indicate that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government is seeking to advance the annexation of the occupied West Bank ahead of the upcoming Israeli elections scheduled for October.
Another decision includes legislation to revoke the ban on selling land in the West Bank to non-Arabs and to eliminate the requirement for official approval of real estate transactions. The changes would allow colonists to purchase land personally, not just through companies, removing existing bureaucratic restrictions and enabling freer land acquisition.
Authority over building permits in the city of Hebron, including the Ibrahimi Mosque, will be transferred from the Hebron Municipality to the Israeli army’s Civil Administration, which is under the responsibility of Smotrich. This decision is expected to facilitate the expansion of the settlement bloc in Hebron and render the Hebron Agreement meaningless.
The settlement bloc in Hebron will be transformed into an independent local authority. A similar step will apply to the Bilal bin Rabah Mosque in Bethlehem, which will be separated from the Bethlehem Municipality by establishing a "Local Authority Directorate," effectively annexing the area to Israel.
The cabinet also approved imposing control and enforcement on buildings without building permits in areas “A” and “B” under the pretext that they affect heritage and archaeological sites, which means that the occupation will be able to seize Palestinian lands and demolish buildings.
