U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday denounced Israel’s decision to designate parts 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.
