UN chief condemns Israel’s plan to register West Bank land as state property

By Merve Aydogan

HAMILTON, Canada (AA) - UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday condemned Israel's decision to classify areas of the occupied West Bank as “state property.”

"The Secretary-General condemns the Israeli government’s Feb. 15 decision to resume land registration procedures in Area C of the occupied West Bank, following a cabinet decision in May 2025," said Guterres' spokesperson Stephane Dujarric during a news conference, warning that the move could dispossess Palestinians of their property and expand Israeli control over land in the area.

"Such measures, including Israel’s continued presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, are not only destabilizing but, as recalled by the International Court of Justice, unlawful," Dujarric said.

The statement came a day after the Israeli government approved a proposal to register Palestinian land in the West Bank as "state property."

Israel’s public broadcaster reported that Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, Justice Minister Yariv Levin and Defense Minister Israel Katz submitted the proposal.

Palestinians view the measures as a prelude to the formal annexation of the West Bank and a step toward the de facto annexation of large parts of the territory — moves they say would undermine the two-state solution endorsed by the UN.

Calling on Israel to "immediately reverse these measures," Guterres warned that "the current trajectory on the ground is eroding the prospect for the two-State solution."

"The Secretary-General reiterates that all Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the regime associated with them, have no legal validity and are in flagrant violation of international law and relevant UN resolutions," Dujarric told the press.

He also stated that Guterres called on all sides to "preserve the only path to lasting peace, a negotiated two-State solution, in line with relevant Security Council resolutions and international law."