The cabinet decided today (8/2/26) on a series of measures that will allow Israelis to purchase land in the territories almost without limitation and without government oversight. The move will give a small number of settlers the power to determine political facts on the ground without government intervention, and will open the door to an industry of forged real-estate transactions. In addition, the cabinet decided to strip powers from the Palestinian Authority in Areas A and B and in Hebron. These decisions constitute a direct violation of the international agreements to which Israel is committed and are steps toward the annexation of Areas A and B.
Peace Now: “Netanyahu promised to topple Hamas in Gaza, but in practice he chose to topple the Palestinian Authority, cancel agreements that Israel signed, and impose de facto annexation on us—completely against the will of the public, Israel’s interests, and the clear position of President Trump. The cabinet’s decision shows that this is not about deepening annexation in Area C, but about dangerous and irresponsible sovereignty measures also in Areas A and B, and about breaking every possible barrier on the path to massive land theft in the West Bank. This is an extreme and irresponsible government dragging us toward disaster. All democratic forces in Israel must act now, in every possible way, to stop this!”
As with all major decisions regarding settlement policy, this decision was also made by the security cabinet rather than by the full government, so that the wording of the decisions would remain classified and out of the public eye. The only information conveyed to the public is the text of the press release issued by government ministers.
From the information published regarding the cabinet’s decisions, the following resolutions were adopted:
A. Land – Opening the West Bank as a “Real Estate Market” for Settlers and Creating Broad Potential for Corruption
1. Allowing direct land purchases by settlers
The cabinet decided to repeal the law applicable in the West Bank from the Jordanian period, under which only residents of the West Bank or companies registered there are permitted to purchase land. Repealing the prohibition will allow settlers to purchase land directly from Palestinians without the need to register a company. About a year ago, a bill in this spirit was introduced in the Knesset in an attempt to promote the change that the cabinet has now decided upon (see more information about the move and its implications).
2. Cancellation of the requirement for a transaction permit to purchase land
The cabinet also decided to repeal the law requiring the receipt of a transaction permit prior to completing any real-estate purchase. The transaction permit is intended to be an important stage in the purchasing process to prevent forgeries and to curb settlers’ real-estate initiatives that contradict government policy. Land purchases by Israelis in the West Bank are a dubious business. In a situation of a national conflict over land, selling land to the enemy is considered treason, and the Palestinian Authority has a law prohibiting the sale of land to Israelis, punishable by death. Therefore, almost all sale transactions are conducted clandestinely, exploiting vulnerabilities of the seller, and in very many cases involve forgery and fraud.
At the transaction-permit stage, the Officer in charge of land registration conducts a comprehensive review of the documents and the land’s legal status to ensure there is no suspicion of forgery. Beyond that, every transaction permit requires approval by the Minister of Defense in order to prevent a situation in which settlers determine Israel’s settlement and security policy by purchasing property in sensitive locations. The government is now seeking to abolish all of these oversight mechanisms.
3. Opening land registries in the Occupied Territories for public review
Currently, land ownership registries in the West Bank are classified. The reasons for this confidentiality include preventing forgery and fraud in real-estate transactions, protecting abandoned property of Palestinians who left the West Bank over the years, protecting the privacy of transaction parties, and protecting the lives of Palestinians who sold land to Israelis. This confidentiality greatly interferes with settlers who wish to take control of land—whether legally or through forgery and fraud—for the purpose of establishing settlements. In the past, settlers pressured governments to open the registries to public inspection, and the Regavim right wing movement even filed a petition to the High Court of Justice on the matter, which was rejected.
Because the West Bank is governed under a military regime and is not part of the State of Israel, changes to the laws applicable in the West Bank are not within the Knesset’s authority. Military legislation is enacted through orders issued by the commander of the Central Command, who receives instructions from the political echelon. The cabinet’s decision is, in effect, an instruction to the commander of the Central Command to sign orders repealing the relevant laws and enabling the flourishing of real-estate opportunities for settlers and profit-driven forgers.
4. Land purchases by the state
The cabinet’s decision also includes the renewal of a mechanism for land purchases by the Custodian of Government Property in the West Bank (the equivalent of the Israel Land Authority in the West Bank). In the past, during the 1970s and 1980s, there was a government mechanism (operating secretly) for purchasing land from Palestinians in the territories. As far as Peace Now is aware, the purchases themselves were carried out by Heimanuta, a subsidiary of the Jewish National Fund (KKL), at the request of the Custodian of Government Property. The cabinet has now decided to revive this government mechanism, which will operate to purchase land from Palestinians.
B. Enforcement Powers in Areas A and B
5. Israeli enforcement and oversight actions in areas administered by the Palestinian Authority (Areas A and B)
The cabinet decided that Israeli enforcement bodies of the Civil Administration will begin operating also in areas that, according to the international agreements signed by Israel, are under the authority and administration of the Palestinian Authority. This means that Israel will carry out demolitions and prevent Palestinian development not only in Area C but also within areas under the PA’s jurisdiction, in the entire West Bank.
Under the Interim Agreement (Oslo II) signed between Israel and the Palestinians in 1995, the West Bank was temporarily divided into Areas A and B (about 40% of the West Bank), which were transferred to Palestinian control and administration, and Area C (about 60% of the West Bank), which includes the settlements and their surroundings and remains under Israeli control until the signing of a permanent status agreement, which according to the agreement was supposed to be signed by May 1999. The government is now seeking to ignore its international commitments and begin administrative operations inside areas of the Palestinian Authority (militarily, Israel has operated in PA areas since the early 2000s).
According to details published about the cabinet decision, enforcement bodies will operate in Areas A and B in the fields of heritage and archaeological sites, environmental hazards, and water offenses. That is, Israeli enforcement authorities will be able to demolish Palestinian construction in Areas A and B if, in their opinion, it harms heritage or archaeology, or if it harms the environment or water resources.
These are definitions with very broad interpretive potential, and it is unclear what will be included within them. Environmental hazards could include landfills and waste-burning sites, polluting factories, or even small businesses or homes that could be deemed environmental hazards, for example if their sewage is not connected to a wastewater treatment system. Similarly, in the water sector, this could refer to water drilling that did not receive approval from the Joint Water Committee, but it may also affect other water facilities involving water or sewage transport.
In the field of heritage and archaeology as well, the potential for harm to Palestinian development and property is very great. In practice, the entire West Bank is full of antiquities sites, especially in inhabited areas that often preserve ancient settlements. There is significant potential for Israeli intervention in Palestinian construction in very many areas. It should be recalled that last week the Knesset approved, in first reading, a bill intended, among other things, to allow Israeli oversight activity in the field of archaeology in Areas A and B. The cabinet is now advancing this without the need for Knesset legislation.
It should also be recalled that about a year and a half ago, the government assumed enforcement powers in parts of Area B defined as an “Agreed-Upon Reserve,” which led to the halting of Palestinian development and construction projects and to demolitions in areas that, according to the agreements, are under the Palestinian Authority’s jurisdiction.
C. Stripping Palestinian Powers in Hebron and at Rachel’s Tomb in Bethlehem
6. Taking planning and building authority from the Hebron Municipality
The cabinet decided that the Civil Administration will assume planning and building authority at the Cave of the Patriarchs and in the settlement area within the city of Hebron. According to the international agreements signed by Israel (the Hebron Protocol of January 1997), planning and construction authority in Hebron lies with the Palestinian municipality of Hebron. The government now seeks to allow the expansion of settlements and changes at the Cave of the Patriarchs without municipal approval. This will enable Israel to develop the Hebron settlement, build additional settlements in the city, and unilaterally carry out changes at a site sacred to Muslims.
It should be noted that in the past Israel has already assumed authority in specific cases for renovation work at the Cave of the Patriarchs, the old central bus station compound, and other locations. This time, however, it is a sweeping transfer of powers.
7. Establishment of an administration to manage Rachel’s Tomb
Alongside the assumption of authority in Hebron, the cabinet also decided to establish an administration to manage the Rachel’s Tomb site located in Bethlehem. The new administration will allow the government to transfer budgets for the development of the site and the yeshiva operating adjacent to it. This is a move similar to what was done about a decade ago in Hebron, when the government established the Hebron Municipal Committee, which has authority to manage municipal affairs for Israelis only and is funded by the Ministry of the Interior at approximately 5 million NIS per year.