Israel Security Cabinet Approves Measures To Expand West Bank Control
Security cabinet approved steps allowing land sales to Israeli Jews and reviving the Land Acquisition Committee.
Overview
Israel's security cabinet approved measures to ease Jewish purchases of West Bank land and revive a Land Acquisition Committee, the office of Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said.
The measures aim to entrench settlements by easing land purchases and reassigning planning powers in Hebron, a shift Israeli officials framed as 'normalizing life' while Palestinian leaders called it an attempt to legalize land confiscation.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called the decision 'dangerous' and urged the United States and U.N. Security Council to intervene immediately, the Palestinian presidency said.
More than 700,000 Israelis live in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, and roughly 40% of the West Bank is under Palestinian Authority autonomy, records and analysts show.
The measures require approval by Israel's top commander for the West Bank, officials said, and come days before Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's expected Washington meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump, prompting calls for international intervention.
Analysis
Center-leaning sources frame the measures as a concrete expansion of Israeli control and a setback for Palestinian statehood, using terms like 'occupied West Bank' and citing watchdogs, Palestinian and regional condemnations. They foreground legal and humanitarian concerns, highlight settler-supporting moves, and include limited government defense, producing a critical but fact-focused narrative.
Sources (4)
FAQ
The cabinet approved easing land sales to Israeli Jews by removing restrictions and transaction licenses, reviving the Land Acquisition Committee, expanding enforcement in Areas A and B for water, environmental, and archaeological issues, and reassigning planning powers in Hebron.
Area A is under full Palestinian Authority control (primarily population centers); Area B has Palestinian civilian control and Israeli security control; Area C, 60% of the territory, is under full Israeli administrative and security control.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called the decision 'dangerous' and urged the US and UN Security Council to intervene immediately.
It renews state-led land acquisition processes, aimed at entrenching settlements by easing Jewish land purchases and removing barriers from old Jordanian laws.
History
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