Israel’s latest move targets Palestinians who cannot formally prove ownership of their land, transferring those plots to the Israeli state and, in many cases, to illegal settlers.

Area C makes up around 60 percent of the occupied West Bank and remains under full Israeli civil and military control. More than 300,000 Palestinians live there alongside over 770,000 illegal Israeli settlers. Around 58 percent of Area C is currently unregistered land, and Israel plans to formally register 15 percent of it by 2030.

The roots of the issue stretch back decades. Under Jordanian rule between 1949 and 1967, only about one third of West Bank land was formally registered, and many Palestinians lost ownership documents during wars and displacement. Now, for the first time since 1967, Israel is resuming systematic land registration in the occupied West Bank. Since October 2023, nearly 60 square kilometres of land have been seized.

For Palestinians, the consequences are severe: forced displacement, permanent land loss and the legal erasure of long standing claims. Critics argue the policy undermines the Oslo Accords, jeopardises the two state solution and lays the groundwork for formal annexation.