https://tankie.tube/videos/watch/ee9635a6-49f0-44b9-a5ae-b1dc686e8193 The Israeli government has approved a plan to claim large areas of the occupied West Bank as “state property” if Palestinians cannot prove ownership, prompting accusations of “de facto annexation”. The registration process - which could start as soon as this year - would mark the first time since 1967 that Israel has absorbed part of the West Bank into its territory, in what could amount to more than half of the enclave. After decades of settler destruction, the bar to prove Palestinian ownership is extremely high, and the move could dispossess thousands of Palestinians of rights to their land. The proposal was submitted by Israeli Minister of Justice Yariv Levin, Minister of Defence Israel Katz, and far-right Minister of Finance Bezalel Smotrich, who described it on Israeli media as part of “the settlement revolution to control all our lands”. Their official joint statement took a different tone, framing the decision as a security and governance measure. Under international law, an occupying power is prohibited from undertaking land registration in occupied territory due to its irreversible nature. Support stories that matter. Join this channel to get access to perks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCR0fZh5SBxxMNYdg0VzRFkg/join Catch previous episodes of MEE LIVE, our biweekly news programme exploring the stories shaping our world through breaking coverage, expert analysis, and hard-hitting interviews. Originally airing Tuesdays & Thursdays at 12pm ET | 5pm BST Got a story tip or question? Reach us at MEELive@middleeasteye.org Subscribe to our channel: http://ow.ly/AVlW30n1OWH Subscribe to MEE Telegram channel to stay up to date: https://t.me/MiddleEastEye_TG Middle East Eye Website: https://middleeasteye.net Follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@middleeasteye Follow us on Instagram: https://instagram.com/MiddleEastEye Like us on Facebook: https://facebook.com/MiddleEastEye Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MiddleEastEye Wed, 08 Apr 2026 18:35:31 GMT https://validator.w3.org/feed/docs/rss2.html PeerTube - https://tankie.tube https://tankie.tube/lazy-static/avatars/3ba3ff73-a8b6-49c9-add8-9653ef090c7f.webp https://tankie.tube/videos/watch/ee9635a6-49f0-44b9-a5ae-b1dc686e8193 All rights reserved, unless otherwise specified in the terms specified at https://tankie.tube/about and potential licenses granted by each content's rightholder.