Israel's Security Cabinet Approves Measures to Strengthen Control Over West Bank

Israel's security cabinet has approved measures aimed at strengthening control over the occupied West Bank. The new rules facilitate land purchases by Israeli settlers and expand enforcement authority in Palestinian-administered areas.

The measures include lifting restrictions on land sales to Israeli Jews, declassifying land registry records to ease acquisitions, transferring planning responsibilities in Hebron to Israeli authorities, and reviving a committee to enable state-funded land purchases.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas labeled the decision "dangerous" and an "open Israeli attempt to legalize settlement expansion" and land confiscation, calling for immediate intervention from the United States and the United Nations Security Council.

Jordan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the decision, stating it was "aimed at imposing illegal Israeli sovereignty" and entrenching settlements. The Hamas group urged Palestinians in the West Bank to "intensify the confrontation with the occupation and its settlers."

The office of Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich stated, "we will continue to bury the idea of a Palestinian state."

These developments come ahead of a scheduled meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington, D.C.