Israel will register areas of the West Bank as "state property" for the first time since 1967

BarcelonaThe Israeli government approved on Sunday the reopening of the land registration process in the occupied West Bank for the first time since 1967. This measure will allow the state to register Palestinian territories as "property of the State of Israel," according to the Justice Ministry and the state broadcaster Kan. This will expand Israel's control in the West Bank at the expense of the Palestinian Authority. advance towards the annexation of the territory

For the Israeli executive, this is a "true revolution in Judea and Samaria," the biblical name by which Israeli nationalists refer to the West Bank. The aim of the measure is "the registration of extensive areas" in the West Bank in the name of the State of Israel. Once registered, the Israeli government will provide the land authorities with the necessary budget and equipment to carry out the settlement of the area.

"The land of Israel belongs to the people of Israel. The Israeli government is committed to strengthening its control over all its areas," said Israeli Justice Minister Yariv Levin after approving the measure, promoted jointly with the Defense Ministry, headed by Israel Katz, and Israel Smotrich. Two of the three ministries promoting the measure—Defense and Justice—are led by former classmates of Benjamin Netanyahu.

"De facto annexation"

The Palestinian National Authority has already described it as "annexation" de facto"The approval of the law. In a statement, it considered that the measure, which could affect 60 percent of the West Bank, known as Area C, is "a declaration of the beginning of plans to annex part of Palestinian territory with the aim of consolidating employment through the construction of illegal settlements." The statement adds, "The occupation of the territory of the State of Palestine will not change the legal and historical fact that the West Bank, including East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip, is occupied Palestinian territory according to international law." For Hamas, the announcement by Israel "is a null decision that establishes colonialist practices by force," as it also pointed out in a statement. The Islamist group has therefore appealed to international law and has also called on the UN to intervene. Jordan, likewise, has expressed its outright rejection of the measure, which it has described as a "decision against" a decision. He stated that it "undermines the inalienable right of the Palestinian people to self-determination," and emphasized that it is a "flagrant violation of international law." "Israel has no sovereignty over the occupied West Bank," he reiterated.

The death toll in Gaza during the truce rises to 600

The initiative, which reinforces Israel's domination over Palestine, comes in the context of a theoretical ceasefire in Gaza. Despite the signed agreement, Israel continues to bomb the Strip almost daily. There have only been 17 days without attacks in the four months that the supposed truce has lasted.In the last few hours, at least nine Palestinians were killed in attacks in the Gaza Strip. This brings the total number of Gazans killed since the ceasefire began on November 10 to 600. Beyond the West Bank, in its expansionist drive, Israel is also attempting to advance its position in the Gaza Strip. Although the ceasefire agreement defines the area of ​​the Strip that the Jewish state can control militarily, Israel is not respecting the theoretical boundaries. The boundary markers on the ground have been pushed further into Gaza, and the Israeli army has even moved some further inland from their original positions.