Israel's defence minister, Israel Katz, has declared that new administrative and enforcement measures in the occupied West Bank are intended to “kill the idea of a Palestinian state”. The measures, described by one scholar as “tectonic”, ease land purchases and strip away constraints on acquisition, further undermining Palestinian authority.
The intensification of settler violence has resulted in more than 1,000 Palestinian deaths since October 2023, a fifth of them children. Entire communities have been erased, with residents driven from their homes by relentless harassment and destruction of infrastructure. The Israeli state is not merely complicit; settler-only army units are acting as vigilante militias, and soldiers have been ordered to prevent Palestinians from ploughing their land at settlers’ behest.
The bureaucratic steps adopted by the security cabinet mark a significant expansion of Israeli control. They destroy the nominal authority of Palestinians in areas A and B, paving the way for land seizure. The UK has “strongly condemned” the measures, while the EU says sanctions remain “on the table” but has shown no urgency to act.
The developments come despite the UN International Court of Justice ruling last year that Israel must end its illegal occupation as quickly as possible. International outrage over Gaza forced some governments, including the UK, to recognise a Palestinian state, but such symbolic moves are increasingly seen as hollow. Critics warn that without real action, the two-state solution is being killed in plain sight.
