The Israeli cabinet approved a proposal on February 15, 2026, to resume land registration processes in Area C of the occupied West Bank, a move that could result in large swaths of unregistered territory being classified as state property. The decision allocates 244.1 million shekels over five years to fund the initiative, targeting about 15 percent of the area's unregistered land, or roughly 290,000 dunams.

Area C, which comprises 60 percent of the West Bank under full Israeli administrative and security control per the 1990s Oslo Accords, contains approximately 1.9 million dunams of unregistered land, or 58 percent of its total area. Under the new mechanism, landowners must submit documentation proving ownership, a requirement critics say is nearly impossible for many Palestinians due to lost records from decades of conflict and occupation. Land failing to meet these standards would default to state ownership, managed by Israeli authorities.

Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich described the approval as part of a "settlement revolution to control all our lands," while Justice Minister Yariv Levin said it demonstrated the government's commitment to "strengthening its grip on all its parts." The process, frozen since Israel's 1967 capture of the West Bank from Jordan, shifts oversight from the military's Civil Administration to the Justice Ministry.

The Palestinian presidency condemned the decision as a "grave escalation and a flagrant violation of international law," equating it to "de facto annexation." Hamas called it a "null and void decision issued by an illegitimate occupying power." Israeli settlement monitoring group Peace Now labeled it a "mega land grab," warning it could enable Israel to seize up to 83 percent of Area C.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres deplored the move on February 16, stating it risks Palestinian dispossession and violates international law, including International Court of Justice rulings on settlements. Nearly 20 countries, including Saudi Arabia, Egypt, France, and Turkey, issued a joint statement last week denouncing the policy alongside other recent West Bank measures as steps toward annexation that undermine the two-state solution.

Amnesty International highlighted the approval as part of broader annexation efforts, noting recent state land declarations like 694 dunams near Deir Istiya in January and over 750,000 Israeli settlers now living in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. The measures come amid heightened settlement activity, with more than 700,000 Israelis residing in West Bank settlements deemed illegal under international law by the UN and many governments.