The Israeli Cabinet voted on Sunday to back a series of “revolutionary” measures aimed at stopping what it said was the Palestinian Authority-led takeover of lands in Judea and Samaria, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz announced.
Sunday night’s vote “nullifies the P.A.’s attempts to seize land in Area C and, under the leadership of the Ministry of Defense, will lead to an arrangement for registering land in Judea and Samaria,” stated Katz.
The move “will lead to the strengthening, consolidation and expansion” of Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria, he continued, adding that the current war proves that “settlement in Judea and Samaria is a defensive shield for population centers in the center of Israel.”
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said the government’s latest decision was part of his “normalization and de facto sovereignty revolution.”
“For the first time, the State of Israel is taking responsibility for the territory as a permanent sovereign, and is beginning the implementation of land registration in Judea and Samaria,” he said.
“Land registration will create legal certainty, enable land reserves for the development of settlements, and prevent P.A. efforts to take control of open areas,” concluded Smotrich, who also holds a post in the Defense Ministry with responsibility for civilian matters in Judea and Samaria.
The Cabinet resolution declares that Ramallah’s attempts to create a land registry in Area C, which according to the Oslo Accords is under Jerusalem’s exclusive control, will no longer hold any legal standing.
Accordingly, P.A. documents—including maps and approvals—will no longer be used in any Israeli legal or administrative processes.
The Jewish state’s defense establishment will also be instructed to take other measures to prevent the continuation of the P.A. land registration campaign, including by blocking Ramallah’s staff from accessing areas, obstructing European Union and other foreign support and issuing a direct demand that Ramallah halt its activities in this regard.
We hope that the next steps will be to take down the illegal structures that have sprung up all over Judea and Samaria and to declare sovereignty over the entirety of the Jewish homeland!