Arab states slam Israeli land registration move as ‘grave escalation’

The ministers claimed the step “constitutes a grave escalation aimed at accelerating illegal settlement activity.”

By World Israel News Staff

Several Arab and Muslim foreign ministers issued a joint statement condemning Israel’s recent decision to resume land registration procedures in Area C of Judea and Samaria, calling the move a “grave escalation” and accusing Jerusalem of attempting to alter realities on the ground.

In the statement, released by the foreign ministers of the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, Indonesia, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar, the governments “strongly condemn the decision issued by the Israeli [government] to designate lands in the occupied West Bank as so-called ‘state land’ and approve procedures for the registration and settlement of land ownership.”

The ministers claimed the step “constitutes a grave escalation aimed at accelerating illegal settlement activity” and argued it would “undermine the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people.”

Israel approved the measure during Sunday’s weekly cabinet meeting, marking the first resumption of comprehensive land registration in Judea and Samaria since the 1967 Six-Day War.

Defense Minister Israel Katz, Justice Minister Yariv Levin, and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said the decision would allow extensive areas belonging to the state to be formally registered.

They added that the move would enable “a transparent and in-depth clarification of rights,” aimed at resolving longstanding legal disputes and supporting infrastructure development.

Israeli officials also framed the move as a response to what they described as unauthorized land registration efforts promoted by the Palestinian Authority in Area C in violation of existing agreements.

In their statement, the foreign ministers argued the policy represents “a flagrant violation of international law” and warned it could “undermine the two-State solution” and “jeopardize the attainment of a just and comprehensive peace in the region.”

The diplomatic criticism comes as Israel is also weighing planning measures that could effectively extend Jerusalem’s municipal footprint beyond its pre-1967 boundaries.

A housing plan advancing in the community of Adam, in the Binyamin region, could create territorial continuity with Jerusalem’s Neve Yaakov neighborhood, amounting in practice to a significant expansion of the capital’s urban reach.

The ministers reiterated their “categorical rejection of all unilateral measures aimed at altering the legal, demographic, and historical status” of the territory and called on the international community to take steps to halt what they described as violations and to support Palestinian statehood efforts.