Israel Registers West Bank Land as 'State Property', Hamas: Null and Void!
Hamas has strongly condemned Israel’s decision to register land in the West Bank as “state property”. The group, which controls the Gaza Strip, described Tel Aviv’s decision as “null and void” because it was issued by an “illegitimate occupying authority”.
In its statement, as reported by Anadolu Agency and Al Jazeera on Monday (16/2/2026), Hamas described Israel’s move as an attempt “to steal and Judaise land in the occupied West Bank by registering it as so-called ‘state land’”.
The condemnation came after the Israeli government approved a proposal to register the majority of land in the West Bank as “state property” if Palestinians cannot prove their ownership. Such a move is the first of its kind since Israel’s occupation of the West Bank in 1967.
The controversial proposal, according to Israeli local television KAN, was submitted by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, Justice Minister Yariv Levin, and Defence Minister Israel Katz. The Palestinian Authority reacted strongly, warning that Israel’s move amounted to “de-facto annexation”.
Hamas, in its response, described the approval granted by the Israeli government as “a decision that is null and void because it was issued by an illegitimate occupying power”.
“This decision represents an attempt to impose Judisation settlement facts, which constitutes a flagrant violation of international law and relevant UN resolutions,” Hamas said in its statement.
The group pledged to “continue confronting all occupation attempts to impose annexation, Judisation, and displacement plans”.
Hamas emphasised that the Palestinian people “will not allow these colonial projects to pass, and the will of our people and their adherence to their land and their established national rights will remain an impenetrable barrier in the face of the occupation’s expansionist policies and plans”.
Hamas also called upon the United Nations and international parties to take urgent action “to halt the occupation’s ongoing aggression and violations against our Palestinian people, the most important of which are their right to their land, to self-determination, and to establish their independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital”.
Israel’s move, according to prominent media outlet Al Jazeera, paves the way for the resumption of the “land ownership rights settlement” process, which has been frozen since Israel’s occupation of the West Bank in 1967.
This means that when Israel initiates the land registration process for a particular area in the West Bank, anyone with a claim to the land must submit documents proving their ownership.
However, after decades of occupation, the standards for proving Palestinian ownership are extremely high, and the move could strip thousands of Palestinians of their rights to their land.
The Palestinian Authority, in its response, warned that Israel’s move effectively constituted “de-facto annexation” of the West Bank and violated international law.
“A serious escalation and flagrant violation of international law and international legitimacy resolutions,” the Palestinian Authority said in a statement reported by the WAFA news agency. It also stated that such a decision poses a threat to security and stability.