Israeli 'Dramatic' Decisions to Change the Legal and Civil Reality in the West Bank

The Israeli government, through its mini-cabinet, approved a set of decisions aimed at accelerating the pace of settlement and changing the legal and administrative structure in the West Bank. This step aims to strengthen the occupation's control over the civil life joints in areas that were administratively under Palestinian control, opening the door to a new phase of field and political confrontation.

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, in a joint statement, described these measures as 'dramatic,' emphasizing that they aim to remove what they called old obstacles to settlement expansion. These decisions include allowing Israeli authorities to directly intervene in civil affairs within areas (A) and (B), which represents a clear violation of the Oslo Accords provisions that regulated the administrative and security relationship for many years.

In the city of Hebron, the decisions included withdrawing licensing and construction powers from the Palestinian municipality and transferring them completely to the Civil Administration of the occupation army. This measure aims to facilitate construction operations for settlers and tighten the noose on Palestinian urban growth in the heart of the city, while establishing an independent municipal entity that directly serves the settlement blocs there.

As for the city of Bethlehem, the Cabinet decided to separate Rachel's Tomb complex from the administration of the Palestinian municipality and attach it to a separate Israeli administration that will handle all service and maintenance tasks. Observers believe that this step aims to isolate holy sites and historical landmarks from their Palestinian surroundings and link them administratively and securely to the Israeli system, which threatens the religious identity of the region.

The new legal package included the annulment of the Jordanian law that prevented the sale of land to non-Arabs, which paves the way for legitimizing the seizure of vast areas of land through suspicious deals or public auctions. Legal experts warned that this change would lead to Palestinians losing their private properties to settlement associations under a new legal cover.

Journalistic sources reported that the new administration, which will be formed under these decisions, will undertake extensive municipal tasks, including sanitation and infrastructure services for settlers, without any coordination with Palestinian authorities. This approach reflects an Israeli desire to create a parallel reality that nullifies the role of Palestinian institutions and transforms them into bodies without real powers on the ground.

These moves sparked a wave of widespread anger in the Palestinian street, with activists and bloggers considering them a 'silent annexation' and a transformation of the West Bank into a fully integrated Israeli colony. Observers pointed out that these measures are the culmination of years of economic tightening, land confiscation, and the fragmentation of cities through checkpoints and settlements.

Activists warned that allowing the occupation army to carry out demolition and construction operations within areas classified (A) and (B) practically means violating major Palestinian cities and undermining what remains of the Palestinian Authority's sovereignty. They considered these decisions a formal declaration of the end of the transitional phase and the beginning of the implementation of forced displacement plans for residents by destroying livelihoods.

In the context of field warnings, specialists pointed out that the majority of lands in Area (C) are not registered in the 'Tabu' (land registry), making them vulnerable to immediate confiscation under the new laws. Palestinians fear that this policy will lead to confining residents to narrow and besieged enclaves, pushing youth and families towards forced migration in search of stability.

National forces and popular movements called on the Palestinian Authority to take positions that go beyond traditional condemnation statements and move towards urgent international political and legal measures. Interacting parties stressed that silence on these decisions will be understood by the occupation as a green light to proceed with liquidating the Palestinian cause and transforming the West Bank into an integral part of Israel.

These decisions are dramatic and will change the legal and civil reality in the West Bank and remove old obstacles.