West Jerusalem has eased new settlement construction and expanded its powers in the occupied territories
London has condemned the decision by Israel’s security cabinet to facilitate settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank, urging it to reverse the move.
The change will make it easier for Jewish settlers to buy land in the West Bank, abolishing the need to secure a special permit from the Israeli authorities.
Moreover, it also gives more powers to the authorities in the areas supposed to be under full Palestinian control.
The decision has been strongly condemned by the British government, which has called upon Israel to reverse it immediately.
“Any unilateral attempt to alter the geographic or demographic make-up of Palestine is wholly unacceptable and would be inconsistent with international law,” the UK government said in a statement.
According to hardline ultranationalist Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, West Jerusalem is adamant about continuing “to kill the idea of a Palestinian state.” In a joint statement with Defense Minister Israel Katz, Smotrich explained the security cabinet’s decisions made over the weekend.
The cabinet has removed a requirement for those seeking to procure land in the West Bank to obtain a permit from a civil administration office, according to the ministers. It also repealed a law dating back to times of Jordanian control over the territory to make land registries public rather than confidential. The measures will make it easier for Jewish settlers to purchase land, Smotrich and Katz explained.
Critics argue the latest Israeli move represents a step towards total annexation of the West Bank, long pursued by Israeli hardline nationalists. Israeli pro-two-state solution settlement watchdog Peace Now, said the cabinet’s decision further normalized construction of settlements, which are considered illegal under international law.
“The decision to allow every Israeli the right to buy land in the West Bank without government approval, without inspection, is also another way of saying it’s normal life. It’s not occupied territories; it’s like part of Israel,” Peace Now’s Hagit Ofran has said.
The move also comes in defiance of the policy of Israel’s key ally, the US. President Donald Trump has repeatedly argued against the potential annexation of the West Bank, stating it was not “going to happen.”