UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the Arab League (AL) on Monday condemned the Israeli government's decision to resume land registration procedures in Area C of the occupied West Bank, following a cabinet decision in May 2025.
The decision on Sunday "could lead to the dispossession of Palestinians of their property and risks expanding Israeli control over land in the area," said a statement issued by Guterres' spokesperson Stephane Dujarric.
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," it added.
The UN chief called on the Israeli government to immediately reverse these measures, and again warned that the current trajectory on the ground is eroding the prospect for the two-state solution, the statement said.
Guterres reiterated 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.
The Secretary-General calls on all parties to preserve the only path to lasting peace, a negotiated two-State solution, in line with relevant Security Council resolutions and international law, the statement said.
The League of Arab States said Monday that Israel's decision to register some areas of the occupied West Bank as "state property" constitutes a blatant violation of the international law and the international legitimacy resolutions.
In a statement, the League of Arab States denounced the Israeli move "in the strongest terms," saying the step is "a null and void unilateral measure" aimed at imposing new facts on the ground and serving as a preparatory step toward the annexation of the occupied Palestinian territories.
Entrenching the policy of illegal settlement activity undermines the prospects for achieving a just and lasting peace based on the two-state solution, it added.
The continuation of these policies would exacerbate tensions and threaten security and stability in the region, leading to further violence and instability, the league warned, calling for an urgent intervention by the international community, especially the UN Security Council.
Israel on Sunday approved a plan to register West Bank land as "state property", a move that could strengthen Israeli claims and facilitate settlement expansion. The plan, submitted by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, Justice Minister Yariv Levin, and Defense Minister Israel Katz, was approved by the cabinet, according to a joint statement.
For the first time since the 1967 Middle East war, which brought the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza under Israel's control, the Israeli cabinet authorized a land registration process in the West Bank. The Land Registry and Settlement of Rights, a government authority under the Justice Ministry, will carry out the process with dedicated staff and budget.
The West Bank is seen by most of the international community as occupied territory. Palestinians seek it as the core of a future independent state.
Israel retains control of over 60 percent of the West Bank, defined as Area C outside the Palestinian enclaves known as Areas A and B, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
UN chief, Arab League condemn Israeli decision to resume land registration procedures in West Bank
