The Occupation Government Approves a Series of Decisions to Deepen the Annexation of the West Bank

SadaNews translation - The newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported that Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz and Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich are promoting a series of decisive decisions to deepen the effective annexation of lands in the West Bank.

The newspaper added, according to SadaNews translation, "These decisions, approved by the cabinet, are expected to bring about radical changes in land confiscation procedures in the West Bank, allowing the Israeli occupation to demolish buildings owned by Palestinians in Area A."

It continued, "These decisions entail significant legal complications, and as a result, there will be a noticeable expansion of Israeli settlement throughout the West Bank. One of these decisions pertains to land records, and the Israeli cabinet will now permit the lifting of the current confidentiality on land records in the West Bank."

The Hebrew newspaper stated, "Consequently, the lists will be made available to the public, and potential buyers will be able to identify landowners and even contact them to finalize the purchase process, noting that prior to the adoption of these decisions, the registration process in the West Bank was confidential."

According to the newspaper, "It was also decided to repeal the law that prohibits the sale of land to foreigners and to eliminate the requirement for obtaining a permit for the transaction. Before the approval of the Israeli government, selling land to non-Arabs was prohibited, meaning that settlers could only purchase land through a registered company in the area, and not individually. Now, after these decisions, almost all barriers to purchasing have been removed."

Additionally, the Israeli cabinet repealed legislation that required obtaining a license for real estate transactions. This means that purchases in the West Bank will no longer require supervision from a relevant authority in the civil administration, but will only have to meet the necessary professional criteria for registering the transaction. In this way, settlers will be able to purchase many properties easily and conveniently.

Yedioth Ahronoth also referenced another significant decision made by the Israeli cabinet concerning Israeli settlements in Hebron. Under this decision, the authority to issue building permits in these settlements, even in the Ibrahimi Mosque, will be transferred from the municipality of the city of Hebron, which is under the Palestinian Authority, to Israel.

Until now, according to the agreement signed in 1997, approval from the Hebron municipality and the civil administration was necessary to make any structural changes in Jewish settlements. Now, following the cabinet's decision, changes will only require approval from the civil administration.

According to Yedioth Ahronoth, once the powers are transferred to the Jewish settlement, significant obstacles will be removed, which will effectively lead to a noticeable increase in the number of settlers in the area. Thus, the agreement signed between the Palestinian Authority and Israel is almost entirely violated.

The transferred powers under this decision, as mentioned, will also include the Ibrahimi Mosque and its procedures, which is a highly sensitive matter on both national and religious levels. Practically, these decisions separate the Jewish settlement from the city of Hebron, creating an independent municipal entity.

Additionally, the Israeli cabinet will also decide on the issue of Rachel's Tomb, which lies within the municipal boundaries of Bethlehem, which does not provide any services for the complex.

The Israeli cabinet also decided to establish a municipal administration to handle all local affairs related to managing the tomb complex and the neighboring religious school.

The newspaper stated, according to SadaNews translation, "Thus, more lands will be annexed to Israel. It was also decided to allow enforcement and oversight agencies to act against Palestinian construction in Area A as well, under the pretext of harming heritage and archaeological sites.