'Criminal nature:' Palestine slams Israeli decisions to expand occupied West Bank settlements

Palestinian officials have sharply condemned new decisions approved by Israel’s war cabinet regarding the occupied West Bank, describing them as “dangerous,” “unacceptable” and of a “criminal nature,” warning they aim to deepen de facto annexation and undermine Palestinian rights.

In separate statements on Sunday, the Palestinian presidency, the Foreign Ministry and the Fatah movement said the policies target the Palestinian presence and national and historical rights and amount to an escalation of Israeli efforts to consolidate control over the occupied West Bank.

The Palestinian presidency said the decisions constitute a continuation of a comprehensive war against the Palestinian people, particularly in the occupied West Bank.

It warned that the steps represent “practical implementation of annexation and displacement plans,” and said they pose a serious threat to stability.

Earlier on Sunday, the Israeli war cabinet approved measures that alter the legal and civil framework in the occupied West Bank to enhance control.

According to Israeli media, the decisions expand Israel's enforcement powers into areas classified as Areas A and B, citing alleged violations related to unlicensed construction, water issues, and damage to archaeological and environmental sites.

The moves would allow demolitions and seizures of Palestinian property even in areas administered civilly and security-wise by the Palestinian Authority.

Under the 1993 Oslo Accords II, Area A is under full Palestinian civil and security control, Area B is under Palestinian civil control with Israeli security control, and Area C remains under full Israeli control.

The presidency categorically rejects any infringement on Islamic and Christian holy sites, warning that changes affecting the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron are unacceptable.

‘Criminal decisions’

Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported that part of the cabinet decisions transfer planning and construction authority at the Ibrahimi Mosque and its surroundings, as well as other religious sites, from the Hebron municipality to Israel’s Civil Administration, contrary to arrangements under the 1997 Hebron Protocol between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization.

The presidency said the decisions are “illegal, null and void,” urging the international community, especially the UN Security Council, to intervene immediately to halt them, citing risks to de-escalation and regional stability.

Palestine's Foreign Ministry described the measures as a series of “criminal decisions” that amount to a declaration of a war crime, stressing that Israel, as an occupying power, has no sovereignty over occupied Palestinian territory and no right to repeal or amend applicable laws, including Jordanian legislation.

The ministry called on US President Donald Trump to intervene and pressure Israel to reverse the decisions, warning that they undermine security and peace.

Palestinian resistance group Hamas said on Sunday that new decisions are intended to swallow up all Palestinian land and displace its original inhabitants.

Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem said in a statement that the settlement-related decisions taken by Israel’s government “confirm its colonial program aimed at swallowing all Palestinian land and displacing its original inhabitants,” calling the moves a “real existential threat.”

Qassem said Israel’s far-right government is seeking to expand what he described as a war of annihilation and to eliminate the Palestinian presence across all Palestinian geography.

He added that the developments require practical Palestinian unity and a national response to confront Israel’s aggressive policies.

Meanwhile, Fatah said the steps seek to entrench creeping annexation, legitimise land seizure and accelerate settlement expansion. It argued that opening land registries, easing land acquisition, enabling demolitions and lifting restrictions on purchases together form a new phase in policies aimed at erasing the Palestinian presence.

Israeli public broadcaster KAN said the Israeli decisions include repealing a Jordanian-era law barring the sale of Palestinian land to Jews, unsealing land ownership records, and transferring building permit authority in a Hebron settlement bloc from the Palestinian municipality to Israel’s Civil Administration.

Israeli authorities have continued to demolish Palestinian homes and structures across the occupied West Bank on the grounds of lacking permits, amid what Palestinians describe as restrictive policies that make it difficult to obtain building approvals.

According to the Palestinian Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission, a government agency, Israel carried out 538 demolitions in 2025, affecting about 1,400 homes and structures, an unprecedented increase compared with previous years.