Israel's plan to install West Bank regulations denounced as illegal 'mega land grab'

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Israel's plan to install West Bank regulations denounced as illegal 'mega land grab'

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— (@oceancalm.bsky.social) 2026-02-16T12:11:30.494Z

An Israeli soldier stands guard as Palestinians walk to enter their land to harvest olives during the annual olive-picking season, near Nablus in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, November 4, 2025. Photo by Raneen Sawafta/Reuters







Israel's plan to install West Bank regulations denounced as illegal 'mega land grab'


World Feb 15, 2026 2:48 PM EST

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israel will begin a contentious land regulation process in a large part of the occupied West Bank, which could result in Israel gaining control over wide swaths of the area for future development, according to a government decision on Sunday.

It paves the way for the resumption of "settlement of land title" processes, which had been frozen in the West Bank since the Mideast War in 1967. It means that when Israel begins the land registration process for a certain area, anyone with a claim to the land must submit documents proving ownership.


The Israeli anti-settlement group Peace Now said the process likely amounts to a "mega land grab" from Palestinians.

"This move is very dramatic and allows the state to gain control of almost all of Area C," said Hagit Ofran, the director of Peace Now's Settlement Watch program. Area C refers to the 60% of the West Bank that is under full Israeli military control, according to agreements reached in the 1990s with the Palestinians.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas' office in a statement called the decision "a grave escalation and a flagrant violation of international law," which amounts to "de facto annexation." It called on the international community, especially the U.N. Security Council and the United States, to intervene immediately.........................