Israel always had a plan to annex more land in the occupied West Bank, and its actions prove it.

This week, the Israeli cabinet approved a plan to claim Palestinian lands in the West Bank as “state land”. The proposal, pushed by far-right Israeli leaders, including Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, Justice Minister Yariv Levin and Defence Minister Israel Katz, emphasises Israeli supremacy over Palestinians.

The Israeli government has created 35 new positions and allocated 244.1 million shekels (nearly $79m) for the land registration project from 2026 to 2030.

The process outlined in the proposal is not new in itself. It is a process that has been frozen since 1967, and the most recent resumption is a continuation of Israel’s longstanding plan to take over Palestinian lands. While Israel suspended the land registration process in 1967, it did not suspend its practices of ethnic cleansing, colonial violence and de facto land annexation.

For Palestinians, this decision does not mark a new escalation but a solidification of the Israeli presence in the West Bank. While it may seem like mere paperwork, it is actually a milestone in Israel’s gradual takeover of the West Bank, the last remaining territorial obstacle to the completion of Israel’s colonial project in Palestine.

Bureaucracy as annexation

This shift cannot be understood without revisiting the Oslo Accords. Under the 1993 and 1995 agreements, the West Bank was carved into Areas A, B and C as an “interim” arrangement that was never meant to become permanent. Area C, the largest area containing the most land and resources, remained under full Israeli control while Areas A and B were left as fragmented Palestinian islands with limited Palestinian authority.

That made Area C the real battlefield.

As part of the new policy, land registration in Area C, which constitutes more than 62 percent of the West Bank, is to take place through the Land Title Settlement Administration, part of Israel’s Ministry of Justice. What this in effect does is shift Area C from military administration into direct Israeli civilian governance.

These measures should not be taken lightly. They are telling........

© Al Jazeera