The government approved today the allocation of NIS 244.1 million over the coming years to establish a mechanism for land registration and settlement procedures in Area C of the West Bank. The decision follows a May 2025 cabinet resolution instructing preparatory staff work toward initiating land settlement proceedings in the West Bank.
For the government decision (Hebrew) – see here.
The primary implication of carrying out land settlement procedures in Area C is the large-scale dispossession of Palestinians from up to 83% of Area C (about 50% of the West Bank), and its registration in the name of the state. The process will require landowners to prove ownership under conditions that are nearly impossible for them to meet. If they fail to do so, the land will be automatically registered in the state’s name. See more why – here.
Beyond this, land registration is a clear exercise of sovereignty and annexation and is prohibited for an occupying power under international law.
Key Elements of the Government Decision:
Allocation of NIS 244.1 million for land title settlement proceedings in Area C over the next five years and the creation of 35 new positions within the Ministry of Justice, the Survey of Israel, the Ministry of Defense, and the Civil Administration.
Management of registration by an Israeli authority under the Ministry of Justice – According to the decision, a “Land Title Settlement Administration” will be established within Israel’s Ministry of Justice, under the Israeli Land Registration and Settlement of Rights Authority, to oversee land registration in the West Bank. Under the decision, the Commander of the Central Command will amend the existing law in the West Bank not only to permit land settlement proceedings (contrary to international law), but also to authorize the Israeli Ministry of Justice to carry them out. This would transfer responsibility for land registration in Area C from the Civil Administration, which operates under the military, to the State of Israel. For this purpose, 25 positions and NIS 151 million will be allocated to the Ministry of Justice.
Mapping and registration by the Survey of Israel – The Survey of Israel, a unit within Israel’s Ministry of Housing, is responsible, among other things, for mapping and measuring land in Israel and for parceling land for registration purposes. The government now seeks to expand its work into the Occupied Territories. The decision allocates three positions and NIS 83.9 million to the Survey of Israel.
Target of settling 15% of the area within five years – The government decision sets a target of completing settlement procedures for 15% of the unregistered land in Area C within five years. Area C comprises approximately 3.3 million dunams, of which about 1.4 million dunams were registered during the Jordanian period and about 1.7 million dunams remain unregistered. The government intends to settle 15% of the latter—approximately 290,000 dunams—within five years.
It worth noting that land that is considered “state Land” is in fact land that belongs to the public, and in independent countries, it is the government that manages public lands for the benefit of the citizens. However in the occupied West Bank, Israel is managing public lands only for the benefit of Israeli settlers and allocates almost all of the lands to Israelis only.
Peace Now: “Just days after Trump’s declaration emphasizing his opposition to Israel’s annexation of the West Bank, the government has decided on a move that amounts to full annexation. We warn President Trump: Netanyahu is deceiving you. You said you would not allow annexation, but he is carrying it out right under your nose.
The government’s decision on land settlement in the West Bank is a mega land grab of Palestinian property. Land registration will result in the transfer of ownership of the vast majority of Area C to the state, leaving Palestinians with no practical ability to realize their ownership rights. It is no coincidence that international law prohibits land settlement in occupied territory, and Israel itself issued an order prohibiting it after 1967.”
How the Government Is Taking Control of West Bank Land
Area C comprises approximately 3.3 million dunams: about 1.4 million dunams of registered land (42%) and roughly 1.9 million dunams of unregistered land (58%).
The land title settlement process will enable Israeli control over the 1.9 million dunams of unregistered land (58% of Area C). About one million dunams of this area have been declared state land and can now be formally registered in the name of the state, along with additional areas where Palestinians will be unable to prove ownership.
Of the registered land, approximately 824,000 dunams (25% of Area C) are state lands that were registered in the land registry during the Jordanian period — land over which the Israeli government already exercises control.
Approximately 579,000 dunams (about 17% of Area C) are privately owned, registered Palestinian lands. Control over these lands is being advanced through last week’s cabinet decision to open them to the Israeli acquisition “market.”