Israel's West Bank Policy Triggers Global Backlash
The Israeli Cabinet greenlit the controversial reforms Sunday, fundamentally altering land acquisition rules for settlers while expanding Israel's enforcement authority over Palestinian activities. Under existing arrangements, Israel maintains military oversight across much of the West Bank, with the PA exercising limited self-governance in designated zones. The region's division into Areas A, B, and C places most settlements within Area C, where Israel controls both security and civilian administration.
According to The Times of Israel, citing statements from Defense Minister Israel Katz and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, the package dismantles longstanding restrictions barring Jewish individuals from private land purchases in the territory.
Additional provisions reportedly grant Israeli oversight of select religious locations while bolstering enforcement mechanisms in PA-governed territories—targeting environmental violations, water infractions, and archaeological site damage.
The policy shift arrives amid US President Donald Trump's peace initiative, which delegates daily Gaza governance to a 15-member Palestinian technocrat council operating under a 'Board of Peace.' Introduced last month as part of a US-mediated Hamas-Israel ceasefire, Trump's framework explicitly opposes Israeli annexation of the West Bank.
The PA denounced the measures as "illegitimate and illegal," demanding intervention from the UN and US. Palestinian militant organization Hamas called for an "escalation" of hostilities "by all available means" while urging Arab and Muslim countries to cut diplomatic relations with Israel.
International condemnation came swiftly. The EU and foreign ministers from Egypt, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Pakistan, Türkiye, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar issued joint criticism. Their statement condemned Israel's "continued expansionist" agenda and demanded global action.
This development follows December's settlement construction approvals. Current estimates place over 700,000 Israeli settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem—territories Israel seized from Jordan during the 1967 war that Palestinians envision as their future state's foundation. Analysts increasingly warn that relentless settlement expansion threatens to permanently eliminate two-state solution viability.
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