Israeli Minister Declares West Bank Moves 'De Facto Sovereignty', Rules Out Palestinian State
Israel's Energy Minister Eli Cohen declared on Tuesday that newly approved government measures deepening Israeli control in the occupied West Bank amount to implementing "de facto sovereignty," using terminology that echoes critics' warnings about the underlying intentions behind these actions.
The controversial steps "actually establish a fact on the ground that there will not be a Palestinian state," Cohen stated during an interview with Israel's Army Radio, delivering a blunt assessment that has intensified regional tensions and drawn widespread international criticism.
International Condemnation and Regional Backlash
Palestinians, Arab nations, and human rights organizations have denounced the measures announced on Sunday as tantamount to annexation of territory that is home to approximately 3.4 million Palestinians who aspire to establish an independent state there.
Hussein Al Sheikh, the Palestinian Authority's deputy president, declared on Tuesday that "the Palestinian leadership called on all civil and security institutions in the State of Palestine" to reject the Israeli actions. In a social media post, he asserted that the Israeli steps "contradict international law and the agreements signed with the Palestine Liberation Organization."
A coalition of eight Arab and Muslim-majority countries issued a joint statement on Monday expressing their "absolute rejection" of the measures, labeling them illegal and warning they would "fuel violence and conflict in the region."
United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres expressed being "gravely concerned" by the developments. His spokesperson, Stephane Dujarric, stated on Monday that "they are driving us further and further away from a two-State solution and from the ability of the Palestinian authority and the Palestinian people to control their own destiny."
What the New Measures Entail
The measures, approved by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Security Cabinet on Sunday, significantly expand Israel's enforcement authority over land use and planning in areas administered by the Palestinian Authority. This expansion makes it substantially easier for Jewish settlers to pressure Palestinians into relinquishing land claims.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Defense Minister Israel Katz announced on Sunday they would implement several key changes:
- Lift longstanding restrictions on land sales to Israeli Jews in the West Bank
- Shift some control over sensitive holy sites, including Hebron's Ibrahimi Mosque (also known as the Tomb of the Patriarchs)
- Declassify land registry records to facilitate property acquisitions
The measures also revive a government committee empowered to make what officials described as "proactive" land purchases in the territory, a strategic step intended to reserve land for future settlement expansion.
Broader Implications and Historical Context
Collectively, these moves provide an official endorsement of Israel's accelerating territorial expansion and would override portions of decades-old agreements that previously divided the West Bank between areas under Israeli control and areas where the Palestinian Authority exercised limited autonomy.
Israel has increasingly legalized settler outposts constructed on land that Palestinians claim documented ownership of, evicted Palestinian communities from areas designated as "military zones," and reclassified villages near archaeological sites as "national parks."
More than 700,000 Israelis currently reside in the occupied West Bank and east Jerusalem, territories captured by Israel during the 1967 war and sought by Palestinians for an independent state alongside the Gaza Strip.
The international community overwhelmingly regards Israeli settlement construction as illegal and a significant obstacle to peace negotiations. Anti-settlement watchdog group Peace Now stated on Sunday that "these decisions constitute a direct violation of the international agreements to which Israel is committed and are steps toward the annexation of Areas A and B," referring to parts of the West Bank where the Palestinian Authority previously exercised some autonomy.
Cohen's remarks align with similar statements from other members of Netanyahu's government, creating diplomatic tensions with regional allies and contradicting previous assurances from U.S. President Donald Trump, who stated last year he would not permit Israel to annex the West Bank. Netanyahu is scheduled to meet with Trump in Washington later this week amid these escalating controversies.
