The European Union has called on Israel to reverse its illegal move of land registrations in the occupied West Bank, warning it was a "new escalation".
"This constitutes a new escalation after recent measures already aimed at extending Israeli control" in the occupied West Bank, EU foreign affairs spokesman Anouar El Anouni said on Monday.
"We reiterate that annexation is illegal under international law. We call on Israel to reverse this decision," he added.
The statement came a day after the Israeli government approved a proposal to register Palestinian land in the West Bank as “state property” for the first time since the Israeli occupation of the territory in 1967, as critics labelled it a "mega land grab" that would accelerate annexation of the Palestinian territory.
Israel’s public broadcaster reported that Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, Justice Minister Yariv Levin and Defence Minister Israel Katz submitted the proposal.
Recent measures approved by Israel’s security cabinet seek to repeal longstanding Jordan-era land restrictions, open land registries and shift planning authority in parts of the occupied West Bank.
The moves deepen illegal Israeli control, accelerate settlement expansion and undermine the framework envisioned under the Oslo Accords, drawing international concern over prospects for a two-state solution.
Palestinians view the measures as a prelude to the formal annexation of the West Bank and a step toward the de facto annexation of large parts of the territory, moves they say would undermine the two-state solution framework endorsed by the United Nations.
In a landmark opinion in July 2024, the International Court of Justice declared Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory illegal and called for the evacuation of all settlements in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.
