Israel votes to seize control of West Bank land in de facto annexation move

By isabelle // 2025-05-14

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Israel’s cabinet voted to take full control of land registration in Area C of the West Bank, overturning Oslo Accords policies and accelerating settlement expansion.
Far-right ministers Israel Katz and Bezalel Smotrich pushed the decision, which nullifies Palestinian land rights and violates international law.
The move shifts from temporary Israeli control to permanent annexation, reclassifying Palestinian land as "state land" for settlements.
Palestinians face increased dispossession, with activists warning of unchecked settler seizures and blocked international aid for land documentation.
The UN and rights groups condemn the decision as illegal, warning it buries prospects for a two-state solution and entrenches apartheid.

In a controversial decision that critics warn amounts to de facto annexation, Israel’s cabinet voted this week to take full control of land registration in Area C of the occupied West Bank, a move that could further entrench Israeli settlements and strip Palestinians of legal claims to their land. The decision, pushed by far-right ministers Israel Katz and Bezalel Smotrich, overturns decades of policy under the Oslo Accords and accelerates Israel’s expansion into Palestinian territory. With Area C making up 60% of the West Bank, the move effectively nullifies Palestinian land rights while paving the way for increased settlement construction, a violation of international law.

A shift from temporary control to permanent annexation

Under the 1995 Oslo Accords, Area C was placed under temporary Israeli administrative control, with the expectation that it would eventually transition to Palestinian Authority (PA) governance. Instead, Israel has steadily tightened its grip, and the new cabinet resolution now declares any Palestinian land registration efforts legally void. Israeli authorities will conduct their own land surveys, potentially reclassifying vast tracts as "state land" for settlement expansion. "This is a dangerous step toward realizing the messianic vision of the annexationist government," warned Israeli rights group Yesh Din, condemning the move as a blatant violation of international law. Finance Minister Smotrich, a key architect of the policy, framed it as part of a broader effort to assert "normalization and de facto sovereignty," effectively eliminating prospects for a Palestinian state.

Palestinians face further dispossession

For Palestinians like Ayed Jafry, an activist from the village of Sinjil, the decision spells disaster. "We're now dealing directly with the occupation again," he told Middle East Eye. "This opens the door for settlers to seize land without oversight." Jafry described how Israeli authorities have already restricted Palestinian movement, construction, and even emergency services in Area C, making daily life unbearable. The policy shift also targets international aid, blocking foreign support for Palestinian land documentation and construction projects. The PA’s efforts to register land—some based on Ottoman and Jordanian-era records—will no longer be recognized, leaving thousands of families vulnerable to displacement. "The Palestinian people are left alone to confront the tyranny of colonialism and organized state terrorism," Jafry said.

International condemnation and legal violations

The United Nations has warned that Israel’s actions risk "legitimizing the occupation." UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric called the move "counter to international law" and detrimental to peace efforts. Under international humanitarian law, an occupying power cannot permanently alter or annex territory, yet Israel has systematically expanded settlements while demolishing Palestinian homes and seizing land. Dr. Yohanan Tzoreff, a senior researcher at Israel’s Institute for National Security Studies, said the decision reflects Smotrich’s long-term goal: "He wants to entrench irreversible facts on the ground that prevent any possibility of a future two-state agreement. In the past, this kind of move was done cautiously. Now it's annexation on steroids."

A bleak future for Palestinian statehood

The move comes amid escalating violence in the West Bank, where Israeli forces and settlers have intensified attacks on Palestinian communities since the start of the Gaza war. With the PA weakened and international intervention limited, Palestinians face dwindling options to resist land confiscation. Analysts say the decision buries any remaining hope for a negotiated two-state solution, instead cementing a reality of permanent Israeli control. Despite the odds, Palestinian activists vow to resist. "We will work to launch a popular movement against the issue," Jafry said. Yet without meaningful international pressure, Israel’s annexation efforts are likely to proceed unchecked, further fragmenting Palestinian territory and deepening the humanitarian crisis. Israel’s latest land grab in the West Bank marks a dangerous escalation in its decades-long occupation, erasing Palestinian claims to their homeland while defying international law. As settlements expand and rights groups warn of irreversible damage, the world faces a critical choice: uphold the principles of justice and sovereignty or watch as apartheid becomes permanent. Sources for this article include: TheCradle.co MiddleEastEye.net MiddleEastMonitor.com