Israeli land registration reform corrects anomaly

A recent move by Israel to reform land registration in Area C of the West Bank has been slammed by the media as ‘annexation’. It was to correct a discriminatory legal anomaly, argues Honest Reporting, and does not mean that Israel is extending sovereignty over the area:

As detailed in a recent legal analysis, between 1948 and 1967, when Jordan controlled the area, it halted land registration and imposed restrictions that prevented non-Arabs from registering land ownership in the territory. The freeze left vast areas in legal limbo, without clear, updated ownership records.

When Israel took control of the West Bank in 1967, it did not complete a comprehensive land settlement process. For decades, registration remained partial or frozen, creating uncertainty for both Palestinian and Israeli residents. That uncertainty has fueled disputes, litigation, and political accusations from all sides.

The Jordanian regulations barring Jews from legally registering land ownership in the territory were based on nationality and identity. In other words, Jews were categorically excluded because they were Jews.

By contrast, inside Israel proper, Arab citizens can and do register land in their names. Property registration is not restricted based on ethnicity or religion. And that’s how it should be.

Critics who describe Israel’s move as inherently racist rarely acknowledge that the pre-existing framework effectively codified discrimination against Jews.

So the cabinet decision that seeks to resume and systematize land registration under Israeli administration is correcting a historic discriminatory flaw. Resuming land registration does not, in itself, transfer sovereignty. It creates formal records of ownership in an area whose final status remains subject to negotiation.

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