Israel advances legal overhaul enabling settlement expansion and demolitions as Palestinian factions warn of annexation and settler violence intensifies.

Key Developments

• Israel lifts land restrictions and expands enforcement into Areas A and B.
• Hebron holy sites planning powers transferred to Israeli authorities.
• Hamas calls moves an “existential threat” and displacement plan.
• Palestinian officials warn of annexation and war crimes.
• Surge in settler attacks reported across the West Bank.

Legal Overhaul

Israel’s security cabinet approved a set of decisions reshaping the legal and administrative framework governing the occupied West Bank, moves Israeli media said would significantly accelerate settlement expansion and deepen Israeli control.

According to Israel’s public broadcaster KAN, the measures include repealing a Jordanian-era law that prohibited the sale of Palestinian land to Jews, opening land ownership registries to public access, and removing the requirement for special permits to complete property transactions.

Yedioth Ahronoth reported that making land records public allows Israeli buyers to directly approach Palestinian landowners, dramatically easing purchases and creating what it described as a legal shift “difficult to reverse.”

Defense Minister Israel Katz said the steps “reflect a clear policy to strengthen the Israeli presence in Judea and Samaria,” while Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich argued they “end discrimination against settlers.”

The decisions also extend Israeli enforcement powers into Areas A and B — zones that, under the Oslo Accords, fall under Palestinian civil administration — allowing demolitions and property seizures under pretexts such as construction violations or archaeological protection.

Hebron Authority

Part of the cabinet decision transfers planning and construction authority at the Ibrahimi Mosque and surrounding areas in Hebron (Al-Khalil) from the Palestinian municipality to Israel’s Civil Administration.

The move contradicts arrangements set under the 1997 Hebron Protocol and effectively places sensitive religious and urban zones under direct Israeli administrative control.

The cabinet additionally approved mechanisms enabling confiscation of Palestinian property and expanded oversight over building in areas previously administered by the Palestinian Authority.

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Palestinian Reactions

Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem said the decisions “confirm its colonial program aimed at swallowing all Palestinian land and displacing its original inhabitants,” describing them as “a real existential threat.”

He added that Israel’s government seeks to expand “a war of annihilation” across all Palestinian geography and called for unified Palestinian action to confront the measures.

The Palestinian presidency warned the policies constitute “practical implementation of annexation and displacement plans,” while the Foreign Ministry described them as “criminal decisions” amounting to a war crime.

Officials urged international intervention, stating Israel “has no sovereignty over occupied Palestinian territory and no right to repeal or amend applicable laws.”

Demolitions and Control

The changes come amid ongoing demolitions across the West Bank. According to the Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission, Israeli authorities carried out 538 demolitions in 2025 affecting about 1,400 structures — the highest level recorded in recent years.

Palestinians say restrictive permit regimes make legal construction nearly impossible, leaving communities vulnerable to displacement once enforcement powers expand into new areas.

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Rising Settler Violence

The legal shift coincides with a surge in attacks by Israeli settlers and soldiers across the territory.

An 81-year-old blind Palestinian, Hussein al-Khudur, was beaten with sticks by settlers east of Hebron, according to local sources. He was transported to hospital after the assault.

Official Palestinian data recorded 1,872 attacks in January alone — 1,404 carried out by Israeli forces and 468 by settlers — concentrated mainly in Hebron, Ramallah and Nablus.

Since October 2023, more than 1,112 Palestinians have been killed, roughly 11,500 wounded and over 21,000 detained in the West Bank.

Broader Implications

The United Nations has repeatedly stated Israeli settlements violate international law, while the International Court of Justice ruled in July 2024 that Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory is illegal and called for evacuation of settlements.

Palestinian officials say the new decisions represent a transition from de facto to formal annexation, combining legal change, territorial control and violence on the ground into a single policy trajectory shaping the future of the occupied West Bank.

(Anadolu, PC)