Hamas has strongly condemned new Israeli government decisions to expand settlements in the occupied West Bank, warning the measures pose an “existential threat” to Palestinians and are designed to consolidate Israeli control over the territory.
In a statement issued on Sunday, Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem said decisions approved by Israel’s security cabinet confirm what he described as a colonial strategy aimed at “swallowing all Palestinian land and displacing its original inhabitants.”
Qassem said Israel’s far-right government is seeking to broaden what he called a war of annihilation, with the goal of eliminating the Palestinian presence across all Palestinian geography. He added that the developments require practical Palestinian unity and a coordinated national response to confront Israel’s policies.
Earlier on Sunday, Israel approved a series of measures altering the legal and civil framework governing the occupied West Bank, significantly expanding Israeli authority in the territory.
According to Israel’s public broadcaster KAN, the decisions include repealing a Jordanian-era law that prohibited the sale of Palestinian land to Jews, unsealing land ownership records, and transferring authority over building permits in a settlement bloc near Hebron from the Palestinian municipality to Israel’s Civil Administration.
The measures also extend Israeli enforcement powers into areas classified as Area A and Area B, citing alleged violations related to unlicensed construction, water use, and damage to archaeological and environmental sites. The expansion would allow Israeli authorities to carry out demolitions and property seizures even in areas under Palestinian civil administration.
Under the 1993 Oslo II Accords, Area A is under full Palestinian civil and security control, Area B under Palestinian civil control with Israeli security oversight, while Area C, which makes up about 60 percent of the West Bank, remains under full Israeli control.
Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth reported that part of the cabinet’s decision transfers planning and construction authority at the Ibrahimi Mosque and surrounding areas, along with other religious sites, from the Hebron municipality to Israel’s Civil Administration. The move runs counter to arrangements set out in the 1997 Hebron Protocol signed between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization.
Israeli authorities have continued to demolish Palestinian homes and structures across the West Bank, citing a lack of permits. Palestinians argue that Israel’s restrictive planning regime makes it nearly impossible to obtain building approvals.
According to figures from the Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission, Israel carried out 538 demolitions in 2025, affecting around 1,400 homes and structures, the highest annual total recorded.
The United Nations has long maintained that Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territory are illegal under international law and undermine the viability of a two-state solution, repeatedly calling for a halt to settlement activity.
As the Ukraine war is highlighted by some leaders during the United Nations' 81st General Assembly meetin...
11 of 19 Kazakh servicemen swept into the Caspian Sea during military exercises in the Mangystau region have died, Kazakhstan’s Defence ...
Australia says an OpenAI AI agent gained unauthorised access to a government Medicare statistics portal in June, in what officials say could be an ...
As the Ukraine war is highlighted by some leaders during the United Nations' 81st General Assembly meeting in New York, Russian forces attacked the Ukrainian capital Kyiv early on Thursday with ballistic missiles, killing two people and injuring six, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is set to meet Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in New York on Wednesday, as Washington pushes for an end to the war in Ukraine and Kyiv and Moscow continue to strike energy infrastructure.
U.S. President Donald Trump is addressing the UN General Assembly as world leaders gather in New York for the 81st session. Conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine, global security and diplomacy set to dominate the event.
U.S. President Donald Trump said his team held a three-hour meeting with an Iranian delegation in New York that he described as “very good” and “productive”, with another round of talks scheduled soon.
The 81st UN General Assembly continues in New York on Wednesday, with another day of high-level speeches and diplomatic meetings. The wars in the Middle East and Ukraine, global security and international cooperation remain at the centre of discussions.
11 of 19 Kazakh servicemen swept into the Caspian Sea during military exercises in the Mangystau region have died, Kazakhstan’s Defence Ministry said on Thursday.
U.S. officials drafted a statement for Secretary of State Marco Rubio in early September condemning UK, French and Canadian plans to block imports from Israeli settlements in the West Bank, but it was never released.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has accused U.S. President Donald Trump of having a “bullying mentality” at the United Nations General Assembly meeting in New York as Tehran and Washington remain divided over ending the war, despite holding their first indirect talks in months.
ICTWEEK Uzbekistan 2026 is putting foreign investment in the country’s technology sector under the spotlight. More than 2,000 foreign guests and investors are taking part in this year’s event, alongside more than 200 international and local IT companies and 30 venture funds.
Uzbekistan is expanding its digital government system, with thousands of state functions set to move online in the coming years, as digital government takes focus at ICTWEEK Uzbekistan 2026 in Tashkent.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment