Jerusalem: Israel's recent actions to facilitate the sale of Palestinian land to Israeli settlers and extend its jurisdiction in the occupied West Bank have been deemed significant breaches of international law and established agreements, according to legal experts and rights organizations.
According to Anadolu Agency, the Israeli Security Cabinet's decision on Sunday to allow Israelis to purchase land in the occupied territory dismantles existing Jordanian-era laws that have governed land ownership since 1967, further extending Israeli authority into areas traditionally under Palestinian civil control. Yonatan Mizrachi from Peace Now's Settlement Watch Team emphasized that Israel has been violating international law since 1967, and the recent measures also contravene agreements such as the Oslo Accords, which were internationally recognized and intended to allocate certain West Bank areas to Palestinian governance.
The new provisions effectively transform the occupied West Bank into a 'real estate market' for settlers, with potential for misuse, forgery, and corruption, as noted by Peace Now. The Oslo II Accord of 1995 delineates Area A under full Palestinian control, Area B under mixed control, and Area C under full Israeli control, constituting about 60% of the West Bank. Peace Now highlights that the Israeli Cabinet's latest plans include repealing a law that restricted land purchases to Palestinian residents or locally registered companies, thereby allowing settlers to buy land directly without local registration.
Additional measures involve abolishing transaction permit requirements and making land registries publicly accessible, thus removing safeguards against fraud and protecting Palestinian property. The decisions also empower state-led land purchases, expanding Israeli oversight into Areas A and B, threatening demolitions and seizures of Palestinian property.
Israel's Yedioth Ahronoth daily reported that the Cabinet's decisions also involve transferring planning authority at religious sites in Hebron from local Palestinian control to Israel's civil administration, contradicting the Hebron Protocol of 1997.
Legal expert Gerhard Kemp states that these actions constitute clear violations of international law. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) had previously declared Israel's settlements and occupation illegal, urging an immediate cessation of settlement activities. The UN Security Council Resolution 2334 also condemns Israeli measures altering the demographic and political landscape of the occupied Palestinian territories.
Historically, Jordanian law governed land ownership in the West Bank post-1967 occupation, requiring local residency for land purchases. Israel's new measures dismantle these protections, prompting strong condemnation from Jordan, which views the actions as illegal and an infringement on Palestinian rights.
Experts view these developments as an expansion of illegal settler activities, with Kemp highlighting potential violations of international law and human rights, including possible apartheid implications. Peace Now reports a record-breaking year for settlement expansion, with plans for new settlements approved, marking an unprecedented increase in settlement activities.