Israeli Cabinet votes to stop Palestinian takeover of Judea and Samaria

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said the government’s latest decision was part of his “normalization and de facto sovereignty revolution.”

By Akiva Van Koningsveld, JNS

The Israeli Cabinet voted on Sunday to back a series of “revolutionary” measures aimed at stopping what it said was the Palestinian Authority-led takeover of lands in Judea and Samaria, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz announced.

Sunday night’s vote “nullifies the P.A.’s attempts to seize land in Area C and, under the leadership of the Ministry of Defense, will lead to an arrangement for registering land in Judea and Samaria,” stated Katz.

The move “will lead to the strengthening, consolidation and expansion” of Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria, he continued, adding that the current war proves that “settlement in Judea and Samaria is a defensive shield for population centers in the center of Israel.”

Jerusalem “must do everything to protect and strengthen those who defend Israel’s communities and citizens,” said Katz.

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said the government’s latest decision was part of his “normalization and de facto sovereignty revolution.”

“For the first time, the State of Israel is taking responsibility for the territory as a permanent sovereign, and is beginning the implementation of land registration in Judea and Samaria,” he said.

“Land registration will create legal certainty, enable land reserves for the development of settlements, and prevent P.A. efforts to take control of open areas,” concluded Smotrich, who also holds a post in the Defense Ministry with responsibility for civilian matters in Judea and Samaria.

The Cabinet resolution declares that Ramallah’s attempts to create a land registry in Area C, which according to the Oslo Accords is under Jerusalem’s exclusive control, will no longer hold any legal standing.

Accordingly, P.A. documents—including maps and approvals—will no longer be used in any Israeli legal or administrative processes.

The Jewish state’s defense establishment will also be instructed to take other measures to prevent the continuation of the P.A. land registration campaign, including by blocking Ramallah’s staff from accessing areas, obstructing European Union and other foreign support and issuing a direct demand that Ramallah halt its activities in this regard.

Israel’s Regavim movement, co-founded by Smotrich and which has been at the forefront of the fight against illegal construction in Judea and Samaria, hailed the move as “a pivotal advancement in addressing a longstanding challenge.”

“For years, Israel stood idle while the Palestinian Authority aggressively pursued land registration, deploying hundreds of workers and funneling millions of dollars from international sources,” it charged in a statement.

On April 1, Katz and Smotrich vowed to put an end to what they said was the Palestinians’ scheme to seize land across Judea and Samaria.

“The State of Israel will not abandon the security of the residents and will not allow Abu Mazen and the Palestinian Authority to use illegal construction as a tool to create a strategic threat to the communities,” declared Katz, referring to P.A. chief Mahmoud Abbas.

Smotrich noted that in the past year, a record number of illegal structures put up by the P.A. were demolished.

“However, we understand that in order to win this battle, additional strategic measures must be employed to bring about the desired transformation,” added the Religious Zionism Party leader.

Smotrich, during his tenure, has sought to foil the realization of the P.A.’s Fayyad Plan—named after former P.A. prime minister Salam Fayyad—that seeks to establish a de facto Palestinian state.

A report published by Regavim in December, two years after the finance minister took control of the Defense Ministry’s Civil Administration, showed an unprecedented decline in illegal construction in Area C.

This marked the first time in a decade that illegal construction had dropped, accompanied by increased enforcement by the Civil Administration, according to the Israeli NGO.