Israel cancels Jordanian law banning sale of West Bank land to Jews in new decisions

Israel’s security cabinet on Sunday approved a series of new decisions on the occupied West Bank, proposed by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Defence Minister Israel Katz. The measures introduce major changes to how land, planning and construction are managed in occupied the territory.

According to an official statement issued after the meeting, the decisions aim to remove long-standing obstacles in order to speed up the development and expansion of settlements, as described by the Israeli government. The package includes cancelling a Jordanian-era law that banned the sale of property in the West Bank to Jews, a move the government said would open the way for land purchases.

The two ministers also announced that the cabinet approved lifting secrecy on West Bank land records and making them public after decades of restriction. The finance ministry said this step would improve transparency and make land registration and purchases easier.

The cabinet also decided to transfer building permit powers in the settlement area of Hebron, including the Ibrahimi Mosque and other religious sites, from Hebron municipality to the Israeli army’s Civil Administration. The move allows planning without Palestinian approval and gives the Civil Administration full municipal powers, a step expected to expand the settlement outpost in Hebron and undermine the Hebron Agreement.

The decisions also include reactivating a land purchase committee that stopped working about 20 years ago, allowing the resumption of proactive land purchase operations in the West Bank.

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