Currently, under the laws of occupation, the military commander is obligated to follow Jordanian law that applied to the West Bank before the occupation, which restricts land purchases by individuals who are not Jordanian or Palestinian except for personal residential and work permits within existing cities. The Bill to Eliminate Discrimination in Land Acquisition in Judea and Samaria, 5785-2024, which was approved in a preliminary reading in the Knesset, seeks to revoke these restrictions and allow private Israeli citizens to purchase land in the West Bank.
Ahead of the discussion of the bill in the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, we approached the committee to oppose the proposal. In our appeal, Attorney Reut Shaer, director of ACRI’s Human Rights in the Territories Department, noted that the proposal contravenes international law and the laws of occupation, which require Israel to respect the laws that were in force in the West Bank before 1967. She emphasized that the Knesset and government have no authority to legislate regarding the West Bank.
The petition also noted that the military commander's role is to serve as a temporary sovereign and protect the interests of the protected Palestinian residents, and warned that removing supervision over land purchases would deepen the violation of their human rights, especially the right to property. Additionally, this move is expected to accelerate the existing trend of continuous expansion of settlements and illegal outposts, contrary to the prohibitions established in international law.
ACRI’s appeal, February 12, 2025