Ramallah: Palestinian Vice President Hussein al-Sheikh said Israeli decisions targeting the occupied West Bank amount to a "nullification of all signed and binding agreements" and risk escalating tensions across the region.
According to Anadolu Agency, al-Sheikh stated that the impending Israeli decisions aim to deepen annexation and impose new realities in the West Bank, including in Area A. He described these actions as a blatant violation of international law and a dangerous escalation. Al-Sheikh emphasized that such unilateral measures could undermine any political horizon, dismantle the two-state solution, and lead to further tension and instability in the region.
He urged the US administration and the international community to intervene immediately to halt what he described as "occupation-driven aggression." His comments followed Israel's Security Cabinet's approval of measures that would change the legal and civil framework in the West Bank to strengthen Israeli control.
Israel's public broadcaster KAN reported that the Cabinet's decisions include repealing a law that barred the sale of Palestinian land to Jews in the West Bank, unsealing land ownership records, and transferring building permit authority in a Hebron settlement bloc from the Palestinian municipality to Israel's civil administration. These measures also expand Israeli oversight into Areas A and B, citing alleged violations related to unlicensed construction, water issues, and environmental concerns.
The 1995 Oslo II Accord designates Area A as under full Palestinian civil and security control, Area B as under Palestinian civil control with Israeli security oversight, and Area C as under full Israeli control, covering about 60% of the West Bank. The recent decisions also include the transfer of planning and construction authority at the Ibrahimi Mosque and other religious sites from the Hebron municipality to Israel's civil administration, counter to the 1997 Hebron Protocol.
Israeli authorities continue to demolish Palestinian homes across the West Bank, citing permit issues, amid claims of restrictive policies by Palestinians. The Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission reported that Israel executed 538 demolitions in 2025, impacting about 1,400 homes and structures, marking an unprecedented increase.
The UN maintains that Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory are illegal under international law and has long called for an end to such settlement activity, asserting that they undermine the viability of a two-state solution.