10/2/2026- Union for Justice Foundation
The “Union for Justice Foundation” stated that the recent decisions issued by the Israeli “Cabinet” are the most dangerous since 1967 and amount to an official declaration of the annexation of large parts of the West Bank, the termination of the Oslo Accords and their annexes, and open the door widely to the demolition of Palestinian buildings in areas classified as “A”.
The Foundation explained that these decisions will lead to radical changes in the administration and registration of land in the West Bank, and to a fundamental alteration in civil and municipal powers and property rights, transferring them from the Palestinian Authority to Israeli bodies.
The occupation authorities will transfer the powers to license buildings in Hebron, including the Ibrahimi Mosque, from the city’s municipality to the “Civil Administration” unit in the occupation army, which falls under the responsibility of Smotrich. This decision will lead to the expansion of the settlement outpost in Hebron and will render the “Hebron Agreement” devoid of content.
This will also apply to the Bilal bin Rabah Mosque in Bethlehem, which will be separated from the Municipality of Bethlehem through the establishment of a “Local Authority Directorate,” thereby annexing the area to Israel.
The “Union for Justice Foundation” indicated that the Israeli “Cabinet” approved imposing oversight on buildings constructed in areas classified as “A” and “B” on the pretext that they affect archaeological sites or harm the environment or water sources, which means that the occupation will be able to demolish these buildings and seize the land.
The Foundation warned that the implementation of these decisions would threaten in the future dozens and perhaps hundreds of Palestinian homes that have been built for decades near archaeological sites, such as the vicinity of Joseph’s Tomb east of the city of Nablus and others. In practice, all the lands of historic Palestine are full of archaeological sites, particularly in inhabited areas that in many cases preserve the remains of ancient towns.
Among the other dangerous decisions approved by the occupation’s Council of Ministers is the repeal of the Jordanian law that prohibits the sale of land in the West Bank to non-Arabs, which leads to a change in the existing land system and the lifting of confidentiality from land records, allowing the identification of landowners and approaching them directly.
The “Union for Justice” affirms that these Israeli decisions undermine the existing arrangements under binding political agreements (the Oslo and Hebron Accords), and effectively transfer sovereign powers from the Palestinian authorities to Israeli bodies, opening the door to forgery operations and the unlawful seizure of Palestinian land.
These decisions will also change the status quo in a manner that affects freedom of worship and establishes a separate municipal entity for Jews on a religious and national basis, as these decisions are based on political and ideological considerations rather than professional considerations.
The recent Cabinet decisions will allow Israelis to purchase land in the West Bank directly from Palestinians without the need to register a company, without restrictions and without government oversight, and will grant settlers the power to impose political facts on the ground without government intervention.
It is noteworthy that these decisions were approved within the framework of the security Cabinet and not in the government’s general assembly, with the aim of keeping their texts confidential and away from public scrutiny, so that only the text of the press statement issued by the ministers is conveyed to public opinion.
According to the Oslo Accords, which were signed between the Palestine Liberation Organization and the occupying state in 1993 under international sponsorship, the West Bank was divided into three areas: (A, B, C). Areas “A,” which constitute (18%) of the West Bank’s area, are under full Palestinian control; areas “B” (approximately 20%) are under Palestinian civil administration and Israeli security control; while Israel exercises security and administrative control over areas “C” (62% of the West Bank’s area), including Jewish settlements.
Today, the Israeli government seeks to disregard its international obligations and begin operating administratively within areas of the Palestinian Authority as well, noting that Israel has been militarily active in these areas since the outbreak of the Al-Aqsa Intifada in 2000.
In this regard, the “Union for Justice Foundation” stresses that the recent Israeli decisions constitute a dangerous precedent and a violation of the agreements signed between the Palestine Liberation Organization and Israel, of international law and of international legitimacy resolutions, and represent an Israeli attempt to legitimize settlement activity, the plundering of land, and the demolition of Palestinian citizens’ property, even in areas subject to Palestinian sovereignty.
The “Union for Justice” believes that the objective of these decisions is to facilitate control over the West Bank and eliminate any restrictions or administrative and legal procedures obstructing settlement activity, and to continue, at an accelerated pace, the creeping annexation project.
These decisions constitute a violation of the provisions of international humanitarian law, as affirmed by the International Court of Justice in its 2004 advisory opinion concerning the case of the separation wall, which stated that the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, is occupied territory, and that Israel, as an occupying power, possesses no legal sovereignty over it and has no right to make changes to its legal, administrative, or demographic structure.
The International Court of Justice also affirmed in 2025 that the continued Israeli control over the occupied Palestinian territory is unlawful, and that the expansion of settlements and the alteration of the legal and administrative system of the occupied territory constitute a violation of the principle of the inadmissibility of the acquisition of territory by force and undermine the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination.
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