Israel approves de facto annexation of West Bank; Hamas calls move ‘null and void’

The Israeli regime has approved a draft proposal to register large areas of the occupied West Bank as so-called “state property,” a move Hamas condemned as “null and void issued by an illegitimate occupying power."

The resolution, ratified on Sunday and pushed by the regime’s far-right ministers, would open the land registration process in the West Bank for the first time since the regime’s occupation of the territory in 1967.

Registration of land in the occupied territories establishes permanent ownership, effectively consolidating Israeli control over the Palestinian lands.

Israel's far-right finance minister Bezalel Smotrich and minister of military affairs Israel Katz were among those who submitted the proposal.

Smotrich said Israel is "continuing the settlement revolution to control all our lands.”

Katz described the plan as an “essential security and governance measure designed to ensure control, enforcement, and full freedom of action” for the regime in the area.

The move drew immediate condemnation from Hamas, which described it as “a null and void decision issued by an illegitimate occupying power.”

In a statement, the resistance group said the plan represents an attempt by Tel Aviv “to impose settlement and Judaization realities by force, in flagrant violation of international law and UN resolutions.”

Hamas reiterated that the Palestinian people “will continue to confront all attempts by the occupation to impose annexation, Judaization, and displacement plans” and called on the United Nations, the Security Council, and the international community to halt “the occupation’s aggression and ongoing violations against our people.”

The Palestinian Authority also denounced the move, describing it as a “serious escalation” that effectively nullifies signed agreements and contravenes UN Security Council resolutions.

Israeli minister says Netanyahu's new measures 'de facto sovereignty' over West Bank

Energy minister says the new steps “establish a fact on the ground that there will not be a Palestinian state."

Last week, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet approved related measures that ease restrictions on Palestinian land, allowing illegal settlers to seize the territory more freely.

Israel’s energy minister Eli Cohen said on Tuesday that the measures “actually establish a fact on the ground that there will not be a Palestinian state.”

The territory, home to roughly 3.4 million Palestinians, is part of the area Palestinians seek for a future independent state, alongside Gaza and occupied al-Quds. More than 700,000 Israeli settlers live in illegal settlements and outposts in the region.

Palestinians, Arab states, and human rights groups have criticized the measures as steps toward the annexation of the West Bank.

Palestinian figures show Israeli forces and illegal settlers have killed at least 1,108 Palestinians in the West Bank, including East al-Quds, and injured nearly 11,000 others since October 2023. Around 21,000 Palestinians have been detained. 

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