Israel’s security cabinet has approved a set of new rules aimed at strengthening Israeli control over the occupied West Bank, a move that has drawn sharp condemnation from Palestinian authorities and renewed international concern.
According to Israeli media reports, the measures will make it easier for Israeli settlers to purchase land in the West Bank and expand the powers of Israeli officials to enforce laws on Palestinians living in the territory. Outlets including Ynet and Haaretz reported that the new rules remove long-standing restrictions that prevented private Jewish individuals from buying land in the occupied area.
The Palestinian presidency denounced the decision on Sunday, calling it “dangerous” and describing it as an open attempt to legitimize settlement expansion and land confiscation. In a statement, the office of President Mahmoud Abbas urged the United States and the United Nations Security Council to intervene immediately.
Additional measures reportedly include granting Israeli authorities greater control over the management of certain religious sites and increasing Israeli supervision and enforcement in areas nominally administered by the Palestinian Authority (PA).
The West Bank, along with Gaza and occupied East Jerusalem, is territory Palestinians seek for a future independent state. Much of the West Bank has remained under direct Israeli military control since Israel occupied it in 1967, with limited Palestinian self-rule in some areas governed by the Western-backed PA.
While the territory is viewed by Palestinians as central to statehood aspirations, many on Israel’s religious right consider the West Bank to be part of historic Israeli land, a position that continues to fuel tensions and complicate efforts toward a negotiated settlement.
