Israel has approved a plan to restart land registration in Area C of the occupied West Bank. This area, covering about 60% of the West Bank, remains under full Israeli control. The process will enable Israel to register land as state property if Palestinians cannot prove ownership, allowing possible land seizures. Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called it “the settlement revolution to control all our lands.” The Palestinian Authority called it “de facto annexation.” Area C is home to over 300,000 Palestinians. About 58% of its land is unregistered according to the group Peace Now. The new registration may transfer land ownership to the Israeli state and push Palestinian communities out, similar to past practices in East Jerusalem. Israeli authorities aim to register 15% of the unregistered land in four years. Palestinians could theoretically file claims, but proving land ownership will be difficult due to lost or incomplete records. The Israeli Absentee Property Law of 1950 may also be used to seize Palestinian land. Peace Now described the move as a “mega land grab” that will leave Palestinians with little chance to protect their land. Political analyst Xavier Abu Eid called it a “full-fledged ethnic cleansing policy” and a turning point in Israel’s attempts to erase the Palestinian cause. Since 1967, Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem have expanded rapidly, now housing about 700,000 Israelis. The latest plan includes an initial budget of $79 million from 2026 to 2030 to carry out land registration. The International Court of Justice ruled in 2024 that Israeli control and settlement activities violate international law. Experts say the land registration plan breaks rules against exercising sovereign control in occupied territory. Jordan, which shares a border with Israel and the West Bank, condemned the plan as a “flagrant violation of international law.” The peace treaty between Jordan and Israel is under strain as thousands of Palestinians could be displaced. This development adds to growing tensions, with fears of increased violence and more displacement of Palestinians in Area C.