Widespread Palestinian Condemnations of Israeli Cabinet Decisions to Change the Legal Reality in the West Bank

The Palestinian arena witnessed a massive wave of condemnation and denunciation following the approval by the Israeli Ministerial Committee for Political and Security Affairs (the Cabinet) of a series of decisions targeting the occupied West Bank. Palestinian officials and factions described these steps as the most dangerous since the 1967 occupation, warning that they aim to impose a new legal and political reality that paves the way for widespread annexation operations.

The head of the Palestinian National Council, Ruhi Fattouh, affirmed that these decisions approved by the Cabinet clearly reflect the intentions of Benjamin Netanyahu's government to proceed with colonial annexation plans. Fattouh pointed out that these steps represent a blatant violation of international law and aim to create new facts on the ground preceding any potential political entitlements in the region.

Fattouh considered that the Israeli measures deliberately undermine the signed agreements, foremost among them the 1997 Hebron Agreement, which regulates the presence in the city. He warned that transferring planning and construction powers in Hebron and the vicinity of the Ibrahimi Mosque to the Civil Administration affiliated with the occupation army is an advanced step towards emptying the agreement of its legal and political content.

For his part, the head of the Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission, Moayad Shaaban, stated that the recent occupation decisions represent an escalation that strikes at the foundations of the international system and international legitimacy. Shaaban explained that these decisions add new layers of systematic crimes against Palestinian geography, threatening stability in the entire region and undermining peace prospects.

In occupied Jerusalem, the Governorate warned of the repercussions of these decisions, which it described as criminal, affirming that they are a desperate attempt to impose a colonial fait accompli through settlement expansion. The Governorate stressed that all these measures are null and void under UN Security Council resolutions, especially Resolution No. 2334, which affirms the illegality of settlements.

In turn, the Palestinian National Initiative movement considered that the Cabinet's decisions represent the final nail in the coffin of the Oslo Accords, as they practically abolish the Jordanian and Palestinian laws regulating the lands. The movement explained that these changes open the door wide for land plunder for the benefit of settlers by lifting the secrecy on ownership records and facilitating confiscation operations.

The National Initiative indicated that allowing the demolition of Palestinian buildings in areas classified (A) and (B) constitutes a radical shift in administrative and security powers. It affirmed that these measures effectively eliminate any realistic possibility of establishing an independent and geographically contiguous Palestinian state, and end any talk of a future political settlement.

In a related context, Hussein Al-Sheikh, Vice President of Palestine, warned that the Israeli government's decisions constitute a complete undermining of all signed international commitments and agreements. Al-Sheikh described these steps as a dangerous escalation aimed at dragging the region towards more tension and instability by closing all political horizons for the Palestinian people.

For its part, the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) considered that what the Cabinet approved falls within a fascist settlement approach and a comprehensive war of extermination and ethnic cleansing. The movement called on the Palestinian masses to escalate confrontation at all points of contact in the West Bank and Jerusalem to thwart the Judaization and displacement projects led by the occupation government.

Hamas called on Arab and Islamic countries to bear their historical responsibilities and take practical deterrent steps to stop the annexation plans, including cutting ties with the occupation. It also called on the international community to exert real pressure to hold Israel accountable for its continuous violations of international laws and norms.

Reports had revealed that the package of Israeli decisions included the annulment of the Jordanian law that prevented the sale of land to Jews in the West Bank, in addition to transforming settlement outposts into local authorities. These decisions grant the occupation army broad powers to intervene in areas that were administratively subject to the Palestinian Authority under the pretext of building violations or protecting antiquities.

Observers believe that these legal transformations approved by the Cabinet on Sunday aim to bring about a structural change in the administration of the West Bank that will be difficult to reverse in the future. These steps come amid complex regional and international circumstances, which increases Palestinian fears about the liquidation of their national cause through a policy of imposing a fait accompli.

These decisions drive the final nail in the coffin of the Oslo Accords and represent the most dangerous colonial settlement transformation witnessed in the Palestinian territories since 1967.