Escalation: Israeli cabinet authorizes settler land sales

Israel’s security cabinet approved a package of orders to expand Israeli control in the West Bank. It will publish land‑ownership registries, scrap a decades‑old ban on selling West Bank land directly to non‑Palestinians, and drop the permit step that had been required to complete real‑estate deals. The changes let settlers buy plots directly from Palestinian owners with little government oversight and are to be implemented by the military commander rather than through new legislation.

The cabinet also moved Israeli enforcement powers into areas that past agreements had placed under Palestinian Authority control or joint control. It authorized military and civil officials to act in Areas A and B on issues such as archaeology, water and environmental rules, a shift that can be used to block Palestinian construction and carry out demolitions beyond Area C. Building oversight at Hebron’s holy site known as the Cave of the Patriarchs, and nearby sensitive areas, was placed solely in Israeli hands.

What changed today is the gatekeeping on land and building. Confidential registries and a deal‑by‑deal permit review, which had functioned as checks against forgery and pressure sales, are replaced by open records and no permit stage, giving settlers a direct path to approach owners and close purchases. Finance minister Bezalel Smotrich hailed the move, saying the government was “burying the idea of a Palestinian state,” while regional governments and the UK condemned the decisions.

AI-synthesized from multiple reported sources