By Open Chronicle Staff with Agencies
RAMALLAH — In a move described by experts as a “legal coup,” the Israeli security cabinet has ratified a series of directives that fundamentally dismantle decades of administrative status quo in the occupied West Bank. The measures, announced on February 9, 2026, represent the most aggressive push toward sovereignty over the territory since the 1967 occupation.
A Strategic Assault on Land Ownership
At the core of the new policy is a direct challenge to historical land laws. The cabinet has approved the cancellation of a long-standing Jordanian law that prohibited the sale of West Bank land to non-Arabs. Simultaneously, the government has ordered the lifting of secrecy on land registry records, some of which date back to the Ottoman period.
Experts warn this is a targeted effort to create an “open market” for settlement expansion. By unsealing registries, the identities of Palestinian landowners are exposed, making them vulnerable to pressure, extortion, and entrapment by real estate companies and settler groups looking to force sales.
"Israels security cabinet has approved sweeping measures that tighten its grip on the occupied West Bank" pic.twitter.com/IMsRruR6jU
— Saul Staniforth (@SaulStaniforth) February 9, 2026
Erasing the Oslo Lines
Perhaps most controversial is the new authorization for Israeli forces to conduct enforcement and demolitions within Areas A and B. Under the Oslo Accords, these zones were designated for Palestinian civil and security control. The new directives effectively erase these distinctions, allowing Israeli administrative overreach into Palestinian population centers.
“This government is declaring that the land of Israel belongs to the Jewish people,” stated the Yesha Council, a representative body for illegal settlements, which hailed the decision as a historic turning point.
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West Bank on fire: Israeli minister calls recent measures ‘de facto sovereignty,’ slamming any Palestinian state. Arab states condemn expansion as annexation steps. Is peace slipping away? 🏗️🇵🇸 #WestBank #Palestine pic.twitter.com/2kMO7aZ85l— Usman Khan (@umankhankhattak) February 10, 2026
Religious Sites and Cultural Erasure
The administrative shift extends to holy and archaeological sites:
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Rachel’s Tomb (Bethlehem): Removed from the jurisdiction of the Bethlehem municipality and placed under direct Israeli administration.
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The Ibrahimi Mosque (Hebron): Management is being transferred to the Jewish Religious Council in Kiryat Arba, a move analysts say “Judaizes” the site’s identity by law.
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Antiquities Authority: A new bill aims to establish an independent Israeli civilian authority over some 6,000 antiquity sites across the West Bank, many of which are vital to Palestinian cultural heritage and tourism.
International Outcry and Defiance
The global response has been swift. The Palestinian presidency called the moves a “dangerous attempt to legalize land theft.” At the same time, the European Union and the United Nations warned of a “serious blow” to the two-state solution.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a key architect of the plan, remained defiant, stating that the measures were intended to “kill the idea of a Palestinian state.” Despite a statement from the White House indicating that President Donald Trump does not support formal annexation, analysts suggest the Israeli government is racing to establish irreversible “facts on the ground.”
As these measures take effect, the West Bank enters a new era of “municipal apartheid,” where the lines of occupation are no longer just military, but deeply institutionalized within the civil and legal code.