A new report, citing human rights experts and legal scholars, claims that Israeli soldiers and settlers are employing gender-based violence, sexual aggression, and harassment to compel Palestinians to abandon their homes in the occupied West Bank.
Israel has begun re-establishing the Sa-Nur settlement in the occupied West Bank, which was evacuated in 2005, with a minister reiterating opposition to the creation of a Palestinian state.
Pedro Sanchez underlined the need for the European Union to play a more active and leading role on the international stage, not only militarily but also in terms of values.
Israeli military strikes have intensified in Lebanon, hitting Beirut and southern areas, killing at least 8-10 people. The Lebanese army has redeployed in the south due to an Israeli ground offensive and incursions, as Israel aims to control swathes of the region.
The Israeli military has suspended and pulled a battalion from the Israeli-occupied West Bank, a rare punishment for soldier misconduct, following 'revenge' comments made by a soldier and an assault on a CNN crew during their detention.
An international media association condemned a 'violent assault' by Israeli soldiers who detained and physically attacked a CNN crew in the occupied West Bank. The Israeli army has announced an investigation into the incident.
Following landmark jury verdicts in Los Angeles and New Mexico finding Meta and Google (YouTube) responsible for social media addiction, the tech liability shield is now under intense scrutiny, potentially leading to significant fallout for the tech giants regarding harm to minors.
Israeli settlers were filmed vandalizing a Palestinian high school in the occupied West Bank, raising an Israeli flag and reportedly using hateful slogans like "'A Good Arab Is a Dead One'".
Jewish extremist settlers attacked Palestinian villages in the occupied West Bank, setting fire to homes and cars over the weekend in retaliation for the death of an 18-year-old Israeli boy.
Israeli settlers have violently stormed multiple Palestinian villages in the occupied West Bank, torching homes and vehicles and causing injuries. The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has condemned these actions as organized terrorism and part of a genocidal campaign.
Diplomats from 13 European countries and Canada have decried "increasing settler terror" against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, following a surge in deadly attacks where six Palestinians have been shot dead since early March.
The European Union delegation and several European countries have condemned the escalating violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.
Human rights campaigners report a surge in expropriation of Palestinian land, settler attacks, and killings in the occupied West Bank, even as the broader Iran-Israel-US-Lebanon war dominates headlines.
The UN rights office has expressed concerns about potential 'ethnic cleansing' as Israel accelerates settlement expansion across the occupied West Bank, leading to the displacement of 36,000 Palestinians within one year.
The crew of a fatal US military crash has been identified, including a father from Georgia and several individuals from Ohio, with further details emerging about the victims.
Israeli special forces Tuesday raided the Balata refugee camp east of Nablus in the occupied West Bank, surrounding a house and conducting a search inside, local sources told Anado...
Nigerian authorities have suspended all pilgrimages to Israel and the occupied West Bank with immediate effect, citing security concerns linked to the escalating conflict in the Middle East.
WorldAl JazeeramorgunbladidTimes of India+6iefimeridajerusalem-postklix-ban1-bihnaftemporikindtv1mo ago9 sources
UN rights chief Volker Turk reported that Israel’s actions in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip appear to be aimed at creating “permanent demographic change” in the region.
U.N. human rights chief Volker Türk said Thursday that Israel’s actions in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip appear aimed at creating a “permanent demographic change,” warning...
The United States will for the first time provide consular and passport services to American citizens within Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.
Israeli settlers are reportedly continuing attacks on Palestinian residents in the occupied West Bank, with local residents claiming the Israeli army is assisting them.
Muslim and European nations, including Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Brazil, France, and Denmark, have jointly condemned Israeli attempts at the “unacceptable de facto annexation” of Palestinian land in the occupied West Bank.
Approximately 20 governments, including Brazil, Saudi Arabia, France, and Spain, have strongly condemned Israel's recent measures to strengthen its control over the occupied West Bank, calling it 'de facto annexation'.
Israel's far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has vowed to displace more Palestinians from the occupied territories.
The announcement Tuesday came as part of his 'Colo...
• Pakistan asks international community to reject provocative decision allowing takeover of occupied land as state property
• EU calls annexation illegal, Arab nations denounce ‘threat to peace efforts’
• Israel imposes restrictions, deploys police around Al-Aqsa
JERUSALEM / ISLAMABAD: As Pakistan denounced the latest Israeli move to convert areas of the West Bank into “state property”, the UN chief called upon Tel Aviv to reverse its new, “unlawful” policy allowing registration of the occupied land in the occupied territory as state property.
Israel’s foreign ministry claimed the measure, approved late on Sunday, would enable “transparent and thorough clarification of rights to resolve legal disputes” but the move drew strong condemnations from across the globe for its violation of international law.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said this new measure was destabilising and unlawful, according to a statement by his spokesman Stephane Dujarric.
Pakistan also denounced the step as a clear violation of international law as well as relevant United Nations Security Council and General Assembly resolutions. Islamabad urged the international community to reject the decision, said a statement issued by the Foreign Office spokesperson. It added that the occupying power continued to disregard international law and its provocative actions undermined the prospects for a just, comprehensive, and lasting peace in the region.
“Pakistan calls on the international community to take concrete measures to end Israeli impunity, and ensure respect for international law,” the spokesperson added.
‘Undermine peace efforts’
Arab nations Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Qatar and Jordan also criticised the move as illegal. The measure is “aimed at imposing a new legal and administrative reality in the occupied West Bank” that would undermine peace efforts in the region, Saudi Arabia’s foreign affairs ministry said in a statement.
Jordan’s King Abdullah II said the actions “undermine efforts to restore calm and threaten to exacerbate the conflict,” according to a statement released by the royal court.
The European Union called on Israel to reverse the move. “This constitutes a new escalation after recent measures already aimed at extending Israeli control,” EU foreign affairs spokesman Anouar El Anouni said. “We reiterate that annexation is illegal under international law.”
The Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority called for international intervention to prevent the “de facto beginning of the annexation process and the undermining of the foundations of the Palestinian state”.
Israeli anti-settlement watchdog Peace Now called the measure a “mega land grab”. Jonathan Mizrachi, the NGO’s co-director, told AFP that the move would attribute new resources for land registration.
“There was a lot of ambiguity regarding the land, and Israel decided now to deal with it,” Mizrachi said, adding that the grey area over Area C land ownership was likely to be used against Palestinians.
“A lot of land that Palestinians consider theirs, they will find out it’s not theirs under this new registration process,” he said, believing the move would further the Israeli right’s annexation agenda.
Changing demography
Palestinians see the West Bank as foundational to any future Palestinian state, but many on Israel’s religious right want to take over the land.
The latest Israeli initiatives come in the wider context of increasing attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank, according to rights groups.
“We are witnessing rapid steps to change permanently the demography of the occupied Palestinian territory, stripping its people of their lands and forcing them to leave,” UN rights chief Volker Turk said in a recent statement.
US President Donald Trump has opposed Israel’s annexation of the West Bank, saying stability in the territory helps keep Israel secure.
However, he has held off from directly criticising the new Israeli measures, despite the international outrage.
Excluding Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem, more than 500,000 Israelis live in West Bank settlements and outposts, which are illegal under international law.
Around three million Palestinians live in the territory, which Israel has occupied since 1967.
Al-Aqsa restrictions
Israeli police said Monday that they would deploy in force around the Al-Aqsa Mosque during Ramazan, as Palestinian officials accused Israel of imposing restrictions at the compound.
Over the course of the month of fasting and prayer, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians traditionally attend prayers at Islam’s third-holiest site. Arad Braverman, a senior Jerusalem police officer, said forces would be deployed “day and night” across the compound, adding that thousands of police would also be on duty for Friday prayers.
Braverman said police had recommended issuing 10,000 permits for Palestinians from the occupied West Bank, who require special permission to enter Jerusalem.
The Palestinian Jerusalem Governorate said it had been informed that permits would again be restricted to men over 55.
Published in Dawn, February 17th, 2026
Several nations, including Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar, have condemned Israel's decision to register occupied West Bank lands as 'state property,' calling it a dangerous escalation.
Türkiye has denounced Israel's decision to register large areas of the occupied West Bank as 'state property,' calling the move an illegal breach of international law.
The Israeli cabinet secretly approved the construction of 34 new settlements in the occupied West Bank nearly two weeks ago, including both new constructions and the legalization of existing outposts.
Far-right lawmakers in Israel's Knesset celebrated after passing a law allowing the execution of Palestinians convicted of terror charges. A general strike has since swept across the occupied West Bank, largely halting daily life in protest of the new law that exclusively targets Palestinians.
Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi rebels have claimed two attacks against Israel within 24 hours and vowed to continue military operations in the coming days, prompting warnings to shipping in the Red Sea region from Operation ASPIDES.
A Palestinian man has been killed and others seriously injured in new settler attacks in the occupied West Bank, further escalating violence and drawing attention to its impact on Israel's international standing. In a single night, 14 Palestinians were wounded in settler raids, and five new outposts were erected, intensifying the volatile situation.
At least 10 Palestinians were injured in attacks by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank on March 23, as the group rampaged through villages after a funeral for an 18-year-old settler killed in a car crash.
Israeli settlers targeted Palestinian villages in the occupied West Bank, attacking people and properties, following the death of 18-year-old settler Yehuda Sherman, who was reportedly hit by a Palestinian-driven vehicle.
Diplomats from 13 European countries and Canada have issued a condemnation of what they describe as growing "settler terror" against Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, following a recent surge in deadly attacks.
A Palestinian man claims Israeli settlers sexually assaulted him, tying his genitalia with zip ties and parading him naked in front of his family, during a mid-March attack in the occupied West Bank.
Three people were killed by shrapnel in a Palestinian community in the occupied West Bank, shortly after the Israeli army reported another Iranian missile launch.
The American aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford is expected to return to the port of Souda in Crete on Wednesday for refuelling and potential inspections following a fire that burned for more than 30 hours. The fire, which began in the ship’s central laundry, spread through air ducts to multiple compartments. Around 600 sailors […]
Israeli settlers have intensified attacks on Palestinians in the occupied West Bank in recent days, while the Israeli army has imposed road blockades due to the war with Iran, and medical teams warn...
ActionAid Palestine asserts that the Government has a 'moral obligation' to pass the Occupied Territories Bill. This legislation aims to pressure Israel to halt the construction of illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank.
New footage reportedly reveals a 14-year-old boy bleeding to death on the street in a refugee camp in the occupied West Bank, raising further concerns about the Israeli army's treatment of detainees.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights states that Israel's actions in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip aim to impose "permanent demographic change" in these Palestinian territories.
A Palestinian man was seriously wounded after illegal Israeli settlers opened fire on his vehicle south of Hebron in the occupied West Bank, according to Palestinian media on Thurs...
The United States will provide on-site consular services in two Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank for the first time, a move welcomed by Israel but criticized by the Palestinian Authority as undermining the possibility of an independent state.
Palestinians on Wednesday marked the 32nd anniversary of the Ibrahimi Mosque massacre in Hebron, commemorating one of the deadliest attacks on worshippers in the occupied West Bank...
Norway and several other countries have condemned Israel's measures to strengthen control over the occupied West Bank, describing them as an attempt at de facto annexation.
For two years, settlers attacked Rezeq Abu Naim’s land in the Israeli-occupied West Bank at all hours and in all manners. After another violent incursion over the weekend, his family abandoned their home.
Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank shot and killed a Palestinian American man during an attack on a village, the Palestinian Health Ministry said.
JERUSALEM: Israel on Wednesday imposed restrictions on Palestinian worshippers from the occupied West Bank attending weekly Friday prayers at the Al Aqsa Mosque in east Jerusalem and capped the worshippers number at 10,000 during the holy month of Ramazan which began on Wednesday.
The Israeli authorities also imposed age restrictions on West Bank Palestinians, permitting entry only to men aged 55 and older, women aged 50 and older, and children up to age 12 to attend the Friday prayers.
“Ten thousand Palestinian worshippers will be permitted to enter the Temple Mount for Friday prayers throughout the month of Ramadan, subject to obtaining a dedicated daily permit in advance,” COGAT, the Israeli agency in charge of civilian matters in the Palestinian territories, said in a statement.
“Entry for men will be permitted from age 55, for women from age 50, and for children up to age 12 when accompanied by a first-degree relative.” COGAT said, adding that restrictions apply only to Palestinians travelling from the West Bank, which Israel has occupied since the 1967 Arab-Israeli war.
Imam of Al Aqsa arrested by Israeli police; Hamas condemns arrest, restrictions on worshippers’ access to holy mosque
“It is emphasised that all permits are conditional upon prior security approval by the relevant security authorities,” COGAT said.
“In addition, residents travelling to prayers at the Temple Mount will be required to undergo digital documentation at the crossings upon their return to the areas of Judea and Samaria at the conclusion of the prayer day,” it said, using the Biblical term for the West Bank.
During Ramazan, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians traditionally attend prayers at Al Aqsa, Islam’s third holiest site, located in east Jerusalem, which Israel captured in 1967 and later annexed in a move that is not internationally recognised.
Since the war in Gaza broke out in October 2023, the attendance of worshippers has declined due to tough Israeli restrictions.
Israel arrests Al Aqsa Mosque Imam
Israeli police on Monday arrested the Imam of Al Aqsa Mosque, Sheikh Mohammed al-Abbasi, from inside the mosque’s courtyards in occupied Jerusalem.
The Palestinian news agency WAFA, citing local sources, reported that Israeli forces detained Sheikh al-Abbasi inside the courtyards of Al Aqsa Mosque without giving any reason.
It said the arrest “comes amid escalating Israeli measures against the blessed Al Aqsa Mosque, including restrictions on imams, preachers and worshippers stationed there, limitations on the entry of worshippers, and intensifying incursions carried out by settlers under heavy protection from Israeli police”.
On Tuesday, Hamas condemned the arrest of al-Abbasi in a statement, saying he had been “served with an order banning him from the mosque”.
The movement said the measure “constitutes blatant interference in the affairs of Al Aqsa and an unacceptable assault on its imams”.
Published in Dawn, February 19th, 2026
Israeli NGOs have raised the alarm over a settlement plan signed by the government which they say would mark the first expansion of Jerusalem’s borders into the occupied West Bank since 1967.
Israel has occupied East Jerusalem since 1967 and later annexed it in a move not recognised by the international community.
Palestinians view East Jerusalem as the capital of their future state.
The proposal was published in early this month as international outrage mounts over creeping measures aimed at...
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar will visit New York on February 18 to participate in a high-level United Nations Security Council (UNSC) briefing on the situation in Palestine, the Foreign Office (FO) said on Tuesday.
In a statement, the FO said that the meeting will be chaired by the United Kingdom’s foreign secretary as president of the UNSC.
The statement said that during the briefing, Dar will reaffirm Pakistan’s “principled and consistent position on Palestine”.
“He will reiterate Pakistan’s strong opposition of Israel’s recent illegal decisions to expand its control over the West Bank, emphasise the need for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, full implementation of Security Council resolution 2803, scaled-up humanitarian assistance, and the early commencement of Gaza’s recovery and reconstruction,” the statement said.
“The deputy prime minister will also underscore Pakistan’s continued engagement with international and regional partners, including the group of eight Arab and Islamic countries and the United States, in support of a just and lasting peace, anchored in international law, leading to the realisation of the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination and the establishment of an independent, sovereign and contiguous Palestinian State based on pre-1967 borders, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital,” the statement added.
Separately, on the margins of the visit, Dar will hold bilateral meetings with counterparts to discuss matters of mutual interest, it concluded.
The development comes as the foreign ministers of eight Muslim nations, including Pakistan, condemned the Israeli move to claim land in the occupied West Bank as “state property”.
It should be mentioned that the same eight countries had worked with US President Donald Trump’s administration on a plan last year on a plan to end Israel’s genocide and invasion in Gaza.
On Monday, Pakistan had released a separate statement condemning the Israeli move, calling on the international community to reject its actions.
Israel is set to restart the land registration process in Area C of the occupied West Bank, a region entirely under Israeli control, a move that could have significant implications for the territory.
Israel has begun a controversial land regulation process in a significant portion of the occupied West Bank, a move that could lead to increased Israeli control over the territory.
Türkiye on Sunday denounced Israel’s decision to register large areas of the occupied West Bank as “state property,” calling the step a breach of international law and an attempt t...
Children from Umm al-Khair in the occupied West Bank are protesting and staging a 'Freedom School' after settlers erected a fence blocking their access to their regular school.
The Israeli government has reportedly approved the construction of 34 new settlements in the occupied West Bank. This decision, made secretly in early April, has caused significant concern among Palestinians.
A Palestinian was shot dead during an attack by Israeli settlers on a village in the occupied West Bank. The incident occurred as former security chiefs warned that "government sponsored Jewish terrorism" was spiraling out of control.
Families of Palestinian prisoners are protesting against a controversial bill passed by the Israeli Knesset, which allows for the death penalty for Palestinians in the West Bank, with jailed Palestinians expressing fears of execution without due process. The UN has warned that applying this new law would constitute a war crime, condemning it as 'deeply discriminatory', sparking global outcry.
At least 46 rescue workers and five medical personnel have been killed in Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon since the beginning of the conflict, according to the Lebanese Minister of Health.
Reports from Reuters, citing Palestinians and human rights organizations, indicate that acts of violence, including arson, beatings, and theft, have become "almost daily" in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, with attacks intensifying recently after an Israeli death.
Israeli settlers have rampaged through West Bank towns for a second consecutive night, attacking people and properties, setting fire to homes and cars, and injuring at least nine Palestinians, in violence that began in retaliation for the death of 18-year-old settler Yehuda Sherman. This surge in settler violence coincides with the Israeli government's continued expansion of settlements in the occupied West Bank.
Night attacks by settlers in several occupied West Bank villages resulted in vandalized mosques, burned vehicles, and 13 injuries, prompting Palestinian authorities to appeal to the EU for concrete measures.
Diplomatic missions from the European Union and several European countries in Jerusalem and Ramallah have condemned the resurgence of violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.
Four Palestinian women were killed and several others injured when missile debris, reportedly from an Iranian attack, struck a beauty salon in Beit Awwa in the southern West Bank, marking the first Palestinian deaths in the Middle East war, leading to widespread mourning among Palestinians.
The Israeli army chief, Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir, on Wednesday criticized the recent increase in attacks by settlers in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, calling the violence against soldiers and others 'morally unacceptable'.
GENEVA: The United Nations urged Israel on Tuesday to halt immediately its dramatic settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank, raising concerns of “ethnic cleansing” with over 36,000 Palestinians displaced in a single year.
A fresh report from the United Nations rights office, looking at the 12 months up to Oct 31 last year, warned that Israel’s accelerating expansion of unlawful settlements and annexation of large parts of the occupied West Bank was driving “unprecedented” displacement....
The death toll from Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip and occupied West Bank Sunday climbed to 16, one of the heaviest in a single day in weeks, according to local health official...
Israeli forces opened fire on a vehicle in the occupied West Bank, killing a Palestinian family of four, including two children, in Tammun. Two brothers are reported to be the only survivors of the attack, which occurred amidst a surge of deadly violence perpetrated by Israeli settlers in the region.
US says its firepower will ‘surge dramatically’ and IDF warns of ‘surprises ahead’, as Iran launches retaliatory strikes
Middle East crisis – live updates
Israel and the US have bombarded Iran and…
The Palestinian Ministry of Health in Ramallah announced that two Palestinians died after an attack by Israeli settlers in a village in the northern part of the occupied West Bank on Monday. The Israeli army confirmed the incident to Agence France-Presse.
Israeli settlers violently attacked a 71-year-old foreign woman and a 51-year-old foreign man who were acting as 'solidarity activists' in the occupied West Bank.
The UN High Commissioner states that Israel's actions in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip are aimed at imposing 'permanent demographic change' in these Palestinian territories.
In November last year, 14-year-old Palestinian Jad Jadallah was killed at close range during an Israeli military raid in the al-Far'a refugee camp in the occupied West Bank, the BBC writes.
The United States will provide on-site consular services, including passport services, to Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank for the first time, marking a shift in previous policy.
The United States will provide passport services inside an Israeli settlement in the occupied West Bank for the first time, the US embassy in Jerusalem has announced. The move applies to the settlement of Efrat and will begin on 27 February.
The decision has drawn condemnation from Palestinian officials, who describe it as a breach of international law.
In a statement, the US embassy said consular officers would offer routine passport services in Efrat for one day as part of an outreach i...
The U.S. Embassy in west Jerusalem plans to offer consular services at an Israeli settlement in the occupied West Bank for the first time, providing routine passport assistance Fri...
Hamas welcomed a statement from nearly 20 countries condemning Israel's recent measures to strengthen its control over the occupied West Bank and called for sanctions.
Türkiye's Foreign Ministry, along with 20 countries and two regional organizations, issued a joint statement warning Israel against its latest decisions in the occupied West Bank, which they view as advancing de facto annexation.
Nasrallah Abu Siyam shot dead in occupied West Bank as UN human rights office accuses Israel of war crimes
Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank shot and killed a Palestinian American man during an attack on a village, the Palestinian health ministry and a witness have said.
Raed Abu Ali, a resident of Mukhmas, said a group of settlers came to the village on Wednesday afternoon where they attacked a farmer, prompting clashes after residents intervened.
Continue reading...
The UN missions of 85 countries on Wednesday condemned a series of Israeli measures designed to tighten control over the West Bank, including in areas administered by the Palestinian Authority under the Oslo Accords, in place since the 1990s. It came as Israel's far-right finance minister Bezalel Smotrich said he would pursue a policy of "encouraging the migration" of Palestinians from the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Nearly 100 nations, including the Arab League, OIC, and EU, have condemned Israel's unilateral decisions aimed at expanding its presence in the West Bank, calling them 'annexation'.
The Palestinian Authority's deepening budget shortfall is cutting through West Bank society, but is most stark in schools, where reduced teacher salaries and shortened weeks a...
Eight Muslim-majority countries issued a joint condemnation Tuesday of Israel’s decision to designate large areas of the occupied West Bank as “state land.”
The group warned that...
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday denounced Israel’s decision to designate parts of the occupied West Bank as “state property.”
'The Secretary-General condemns the...
Pakistan on Monday strongly condemned Israel’s latest move to register large areas of the occupied West Bank as “state property”, calling on the international community to reject its actions, according to a statement by the Foreign Office (FO).
Al Jazeera reported on Sunday that the Israeli government had approved the proposal to claim large areas of the occupied territory as property of the state if Palestinians could not prove ownership, a move which prompted outcry from Palestinian group Hamas, the Palestinian presidency, and political analysts.
“Pakistan strongly condemns the latest attempt by the Israeli occupying power to convert areas of the Occupied West Bank into so-called state property, and to expand illegal settlement activities,” the statement said.
It pointed out that these steps clearly violated international law and relevant United Nations Security Council and General Assembly resolutions, stressing that they “must be rejected” by the international community.
“The occupying power’s continued disregard for international law and its provocative actions undermine the prospects for a just, comprehensive, and lasting peace in the region,” it added.
“Pakistan calls on the international community to take concrete measures to end Israeli impunity, and ensure respect for international law,” the statement said.
It once again reaffirmed full support for the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination and for the establishment of an “independent, viable, and contiguous State of Palestine, based on pre-1967 borders, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital”.
Most Palestinian land is not formally registered because it is a long, complicated process that Israel stopped in 1967. Registration of land establishes permanent ownership. International law states an occupying power cannot confiscate land in occupied territories.
Palestinian group Hamas had condemned the decision on Sunday, calling it an attempt “to steal and Judaise lands in the occupied West Bank by registering them as so-called ‘state lands’”.
However, Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz described the move as an “essential security and governance measure designed to ensure control, enforcement, and full freedom of action for the state of Israel in the area”, according to the Jerusalem Post.