Palestinians have voiced alarm that rule changes around land registration will make it easier for Israeli Jews to purchase property in the occupied territory, which they believe could entrench Israeli dominance on the ground.
The Israeli cabinet said the measures include permitting Jewish property purchases in the West Bank and opening land registries to public access.
Palestinians warn this transparency could expose landowners to pressure or harassment by those seeking to acquire territory.
In a related step, the cabinet transferred authority over building permits for Jewish settlements in Hebron (al-Khalil), including the Ibrahimi Mosque compound area, from the Palestinian Hebron municipality to Israeli control.
Turning to Hebron, local officials describe growing control.
Moataz Abu Sneina, director of the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron, said he has witnessed Israeli efforts to seize Palestinian land firsthand.
He said the latest decisions indicate a clear intention to tighten Israeli authority over Hebron’s Old City and the mosque compound.
“What is happening today is the most serious development since 1967,” Abu Sneina said.
“We view it with grave concern for the Old City and the Ibrahimi Mosque, which is the symbol and beating heart of Hebron, and the shrine of the patriarchs and prophets.”
The site is also sacred to Jews, who call it the Tomb of the Patriarchs.
In 1994, an Israeli Jewish settler shot dead 29 Palestinians praying at the mosque, after which Israeli authorities divided the site into separate Jewish and Muslim prayer areas.
Despite numbering only a few hundred, settlers have since expanded their presence across central Hebron under Israeli military protection.
Abu Sneina said Israeli authorities have repeatedly tried to strengthen their foothold around the mosque and that recent moves continue a policy he says has intensified since October 2023.
“This has taken the form of increased settler incursions, restrictions on worshippers, control over entry and exit, and bans on the call to prayer – all part of a systematic policy aimed at complete control over the holy site,” Abu Sneina said.
“[Israel] continues to violate all agreements, foremost the Hebron Protocol, closing most entrances to the mosque and leaving only one fully controlled access point,” he added.
“This paves the way for a new division or an even harsher reality than the temporal and spatial division imposed since the 1994 massacre.”