Inside the Most Significant Judea and Samaria Overhaul Since 1967
Israel approves a major structural overhaul of Judean and Samarian land administration, property rights, and planning authority. This feature explores the shift from military to civil-style governance and the global backlash following the repeal of Jordanian-era bans on Jewish land purchases.
In a series of moves that legal experts and political analysts describe as the most significant structural shift in Judea and Samaria since 1967, the Israeli Security Cabinet has approved a far-reaching overhaul of land administration, property rights, and planning authority.
Announced yesterday by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Defense Minister Israel Katz, the decisions effectively dismantle decades of bureaucratic and legal barriers governing Jewish activity in the territory. While framed by the government as "normalization" for the half-million Israelis living across the Green Line, the Palestinian Authority and international observers warn the measures represent a definitive step toward de facto annexation.
The "New Reality" on the Ground
The Cabinet’s decision targets several specific pillars of land governance that have remained static for over 50 years.
Public Access to Land Registries: For the first time, land ownership records in Judea and Samaria, previously classified to prevent fraud and protect the lives of sellers, will be unsealed. This transparency is intended to allow Israeli buyers to identify owners and negotiate directly, a move critics say will ignite a "real estate free-for-all."
Repealing the Jordanian Ban: The Cabinet formally repealed a Jordanian-era law (dating back to the 1948–1967 occupation) that prohibited the sale of land to non-Arabs. Previously, Jews were forced to purchase land through shell companies and obtain a specific "transaction permit" from the Civil Administration. Those requirements have been abolished.
A Proactive Land State Committee: A dormant Land Acquisition Committee, inactive for nearly 20 years, has been revived. This enables the Israeli state to proactively purchase land for "settlement reserves," ensuring future growth is not left solely to private initiatives.
Hebron and Bethlehem: A Shift in Sovereignty
Perhaps the most sensitive changes concern the volatile city of Hebron and the holy sites of Bethlehem.
In Hebron, building licensing authority, specifically around the Cave of the Patriarchs (Ibrahimi Mosque) and Jewish neighborhoods in the H2 sector, has been stripped from the Palestinian-run Hebron Municipality. Power now rests with the Israeli Civil Administration’s planning bodies. This move effectively sidelines the 1997 Hebron Protocol, an international agreement that had maintained Palestinian municipal oversight over these areas.
Similarly, a new "Local Authority Directorate" will be established for Rachel’s Tomb in Bethlehem, separating the Jewish holy site from the Bethlehem Municipality and placing its sanitation, maintenance, and daily operations under direct Israeli management.
Extending into Areas A and B
Under the Oslo Accords, Areas A and B were designated for Palestinian civil administration. However, the new Cabinet measures authorize Israeli enforcement in these zones regarding:
This expansion of authority grants Israeli agencies the power to carry out demolitions and seizures of property within Palestinian-controlled territory under the guise of protecting regional interests.
Strategic Depth: The "Burying" of the Two-State Solution
The language used by ministers Smotrich and Katz was remarkably blunt. Smotrich, who holds civilian authority over Judea and Samaria within the Defense Ministry, stated the goal was to "bury the idea of a Palestinian state" and ensure that settlers are no longer "second-class citizens living under racist Jordanian laws."
A Global and Local Backlash
The reaction has been swift and severe. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas described the measures as "dangerous and illegal," calling for immediate intervention from the United Nations and the United States. Jordan’s Foreign Ministry condemned the repeal of its laws as an "illegitimate imposition of sovereignty."
International human rights groups and Israeli organizations like Peace Now have labeled the move a "massive land grab," arguing that the shift from military to civil-style administration makes the settlement enterprise legally irreversible.
As Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu prepares for a high-profile meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington later this week, the fallout from these decisions is expected to dominate the diplomatic agenda. For supporters, it is a historic rectification; for opponents, it is the final nail in the coffin of a negotiated peace.