Israel’s security cabinet on Sunday approved a series of measures to deepen Israel’s control over the occupied West Bank, paving the way for further settlement expansion into Palestinian territory.
Israel announced measures to deepen control over the West BankThe territory, which Israel has occupied since 1967, would form the largest part of any future Palestinian state but is seen by many on the religious right as Israeli territory.
“The Security Cabinet today approved a series of decisions…fundamentally changing the legal and civil reality in Judea and Samaria,” said a statement using the West Bank’s biblical name.
The move, announced by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Defense Minister Israel Katz, includes the removal of decades-old regulations barring Jewish citizens from purchasing land in the West Bank, according to a joint statement by the two ministers.
Smotrich said the move was aimed at “deepening our roots in all areas of the Land of Israel and burying the idea of a Palestinian state”.
“Judea and Samaria is the heartland of the country, and strengthening it is in the highest security, national and Zionist interest,” Cates said.
The reforms also consider transferring authority over settlement permits in parts of Palestinian cities, including Hebron, from the Palestinian Authority’s municipal bodies to Israel.
Until now, construction changes in the city’s Jewish community required approval from both local municipalities and Israeli authorities, the Times of Israel quoted the statement as saying.
Under the new arrangement, such changes would require only Israeli approval.
“We are committed to removing barriers, creating legal and civil certainty, and allowing settlers to live, build and develop on an equal footing with every citizen of Israel,” Katz said in the statement.
The measures will allow Israeli authorities to operate certain religious sites, despite being in areas controlled by the Palestinian Authority, the statement said.
The Palestinian president in Ramallah condemned the decision, saying it was aimed at “deepening efforts to annex the occupied West Bank”.
The presidency said the “decisions reflect an open attempt by Israel to legitimize settlement expansion, land confiscation and destruction of Palestinian property in territories under Palestinian sovereignty”.
The Palestinian Authority exercises control over some isolated areas of the West Bank.
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The Yesha Council, an organization representing the majority of settlers in the West Bank, praised the move, saying “the Government of Israel announced today, in effect, that the Land of Israel belongs to the Jewish people”.
The announcement comes days before Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to the United States, where he is scheduled to meet with President Donald Trump.
Trump has opposed Israeli annexation of the West Bank.
Apart from Israel-occupied East Jerusalem, more than 500,000 Israelis live in settlements and outposts in the West Bank, which are illegal under international law.
About three million Palestinians live in this territory.
In 2025, settlement expansion reached its highest level since at least 2017, when the UN began tracking data, according to a recent UN report.
Israel approved 19 settlements in December alone.
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