Palestinian Authority in dire straits as Israel's hold on West Bank deepens

More than 30 years after its creation, there are increasing warnings that the PA is close to collapse.

Israel has announced plans to resume land registration in Area C of the occupied West Bank, a move seen by critics as a major step toward formal annexation of the territory. The process could lead to Israeli state control over large tracts of land, with critics warning that up to 83% of Area C could shift to Israeli control. The Palestinian Authority condemned the measure as a 'grave escalation' and urged international intervention.

A top UN official warned that steps by Israel to tighten control of areas of the West Bank administered by the Palestinian Authority amount to 'gradual de facto annexation.' Israel has approved a series of initiatives to consolidate control over the West Bank, where Palestinians exercise limited autonomy under past agreements. The UN official expressed concern that these measures could lead to settlement expansion and alter the landscape of the region.

Israel’s far-right security cabinet has approved sweeping measures expanding the state's power in the occupied West Bank, marking the start of formal annexation. The changes include publishing land registries, repealing restrictions on land sales to Israeli settlers, and extending Israeli enforcement into Palestinian Authority-administered Areas A and B. These actions are seen as efforts to 'bury the idea of a Palestinian state.'

Tensions have escalated in Hebron following Israel's approval of a series of measures aimed at expanding its oversight and control activities in areas under the administration of the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank. Israeli settlers raided the Old City area of Hebron, and the Hebron Municipality described Israel's move to assume authority over licensing, construction permits, and municipal administration as a 'dangerous alteration' of the long-standing status quo.

Palestine and Jordan denounced an Israeli government plan to build 22 more settlements in the occupied West Bank as an infringement of Palestinian rights. The Palestinian Authority called the new Israeli settlement plan a 'dangerous escalation that drags the region into a cycle of violence and instability.'