Israel will begin a controversial land regulation process in a large part of the West Bank, which could lead to Israel gaining control over vast swaths of the area for future development, according to a government decision made today.
This decision paves the way for the continuation of the process of "resolving land ownership issues", which have been frozen in the West Bank since the 1967 Middle East War.
This means that when Israel begins the land registration process for a particular area, anyone claiming the land must submit documents proving ownership.
The Israeli NGO "Peace Now", which advocates for a peaceful resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, said that this process represents "a major land grab from the Palestinians."
"This move is very dramatic and allows the state to take control of almost all of Area C," said Hagit Ofran, director of the settlement monitoring program at Peace Now.
Area C encompasses 60 percent of the West Bank that is under Israeli military control, according to agreements reached with the Palestinians in the 1990s.
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