Land Deal Topples Senior Official.. Power Struggle Unveils Smotrich's Expanding Influence in the West Bank

SadaNews - A senior official in the Civil Administration of the Israeli Occupation Army in the West Bank has been removed from his position following sharp disagreements between him and the team of Finance and Security Minister Bezalel Smotrich regarding issues related to land registration and real estate transactions in the occupied West Bank.

The newspaper "Haaretz" revealed in a report published on Sunday that the official in question is Tomer Karmi, who has managed the land registration and property organization unit in Area C for 12 years. This position is considered highly sensitive and strategic, given its role in reviewing real estate transactions executed by settlement and Jewish entities in the West Bank.

At the beginning of this month, Karmi was transferred to the Ministry of Justice to serve as the deputy director of the unit for changing religion and marriage, a position completely unrelated to his previous expertise, according to the newspaper.

According to the report: "The roots of the conflict between Karmi and Smotrich's settlement administration go back to a controversial deal made by the "Himanuta" company, which is affiliated with the Jewish National Fund, in 2018 to purchase 290 dunams within the "El'azar" settlement from a Palestinian woman. Karmi refused to approve the deal, citing serious flaws and contradictions in the documents, including conflicting legal mandates and doubts about the legal status of the original landowners."

In contrast, the settlement administration considered that Karmi exceeded his authority, affirming that the initial registration committee in the civil administration is the body authorized to decide on such deals. The Jewish National Fund also accused him of unjustifiably obstructing the deal, pointing out that the Israeli security ministry had already approved it and that the delay harmed its interests.

As the crisis escalated, the legal file was withdrawn from the Attorney General for "Judea and Samaria," known for his reservations regarding settlements, and transferred to the legal advisor in the Ministry of Security, Moshe Frohlich, who previously worked as a researcher in the right-wing "Kohelet" forum.

This change in legal jurisdiction allowed for an official position shift, where the civil administration granted the necessary permit to finalize the deal in March 2025, despite Karmi's objections.

Legal sources indicated that Smotrich's intervention through his new settlement administration, which was established under his coalition agreements with Netanyahu in 2022, played a pivotal role in marginalizing Karmi and removing him from his position.

This administration currently enjoys expanded powers that were previously part of the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Security, including monitoring Palestinian construction, organizing settlement outposts, and overseeing land deals.

For its part, a spokesperson for the Jewish National Fund confirmed that the deal met the legal requirements after obtaining the permit, and that the company began the process of registering the land in the Israeli land registry.

As for Minister Smotrich, he denied any direct involvement in Karmi's transfer, claiming that the latter moved to his new position based on his personal desire.

This case reflects the growing influence of Smotrich within the civil administration, in contrast to the diminishing role of legal entities that previously expressed reservations about some controversial real estate deals in the West Bank.