00:00Israel's government has approved a series of controversial measures that significantly
00:04expand its control over the occupied West Bank. The decisions, taken quietly by Prime Minister
00:11Benjamin Netanyahu's security cabinet, make it easier for Jewish settlers to purchase land and
00:16reduce the authority of the Palestinian Authority in areas it administers. Critics say the moves
00:22violate international law, undermine the Oslo Peace Accords, and amount to a gradual form of
00:28annexation. The West Bank has been under Israeli military occupation since 1967 and is home to
00:35nearly 3 million Palestinians, alongside more than 700,000 Israeli settlers. Under the Oslo Accords
00:42of the 1990s, Israel agreed to grant the Palestinian Authority Limited self-rule over roughly 40% of the
00:49territory, with the understanding that the land's final status would be resolved through negotiations.
00:55Those negotiations have been stalled for years. Meanwhile, Israeli settlements, considered illegal
01:01under international law, have steadily expanded, reshaping the reality on the ground. At a closed
01:08door meeting on Sunday, Israel's security cabinet approved measures that ease land purchases by
01:13Jewish settlers in the West Bank. Among the most significant changes is the repeal of a pre-1967 law
01:21that restricted land sales to local Palestinian residents. The cabinet also removed the requirement
01:27for transaction permits, a safeguard that had helped prevent fraud and allowed Israeli authorities to
01:32block land deals in sensitive areas. Another major shift is the opening of the West Bank land registry for
01:39public review. Until now, these records were sealed, partly to protect Palestinian landowners. Under Palestinian
01:47authority law, selling land to Israelis is illegal and can carry severe penalties, including death.
01:53Critics warn that opening the registry could expose sellers to retaliation. The decisions also weaken the
02:00Palestinian Authority's control in areas it governs. Israeli enforcement agencies will now have expanded
02:06powers over archaeological sites, environmental issues, water regulation, and construction, allowing them to
02:13demolish Palestinian structures even in zones previously under Palestinian administrative control.
02:19In the city of Hebron, planning and construction authority has been transferred from the Palestinian
02:25municipality to the Israeli military. In Bethlehem, a new Israeli agency will manage Rachel's tomb,
02:32enabling government funding for site development and a nearby Jewish seminary, without Palestinian oversight.
02:39PeaceNow, an Israeli group that monitors settlement activity, called the measures, draconian,
02:44warning that they give Israel wide latitude to intervene and demolish Palestinian property.
02:50The moves were publicly detailed not by Prime Minister Netanyahu, but by far-right finance minister
02:56Bezalel Smatrik, a long-time advocate of annexing the West Bank. In a statement, Smatrik declared that
03:03Israel was deepening its roots and burying the idea of a Palestinian state. Analysts say the measures
03:09appear designed to advance annexation without formally declaring it, especially as Netanyahu prepares
03:15to meet US President Donald Trump, who has recently opposed outright annexation and expressed support for
03:22Palestinian statehood. The response from the international community was swift. Eight Arab and Muslim countries,
03:29including Egypt, Jordan, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates, issued a joint statement condemning what
03:35they called Israel's accelerating illegal annexation and displacement of Palestinians. The United Nations
03:42Secretary General's office reiterated that all Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem are in
03:48flagrant violation of international law. Palestinian authority leaders have called on the UN Security
03:54Council and regional organizations to intervene and demand Israel reverse the decisions. Legal
04:01experts emphasize that international law prohibits an occupying power from changing local laws unless
04:06it benefits the occupied population or addresses immediate security needs, criteria they say these
04:13measures do not meet. Right-wing Israeli leaders and settler groups welcome the changes. The Yesha Council,
04:20which represents West Bank settlements, argued that lifting restrictions on Jewish land purchases
04:25ends discrimination and promotes transparency. Supporters also defended increased Israeli oversight of
04:32environmental hazards as a public health necessity rather than a political move. Once formal military
04:38orders are issued, the measures are expected to face legal challenges in Israel's Supreme Court, though experts
04:45say the likelihood of reversal is low. With national elections expected later this year, analysts believe
04:51Smatrik is using his remaining time in office to cement irreversible facts on the ground. For Palestinians,
04:58critics warn, the decisions further erode hopes for a viable, independent state. While for Israel,
05:05they deepen international isolation and legal risk. The future of the West Bank, and the possibility of a
05:11negotiated peace appears increasingly uncertain.
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