Case Explained: Adalah says West Bank land settlement plan could amount to war crime – Middle East Monitor – Legal Perspective

The Adalah Center, a Haifa-based human rights organisation, has called on Israeli authorities to revoke a recent government decision on land settlement procedures in the occupied West Bank, warning that it may amount to a war crime.

In a letter addressed to the Israeli defence minister, the attorney general and other relevant legal and military authorities, Adalah demanded the cancellation of a decision issued on 15th February 2026. The directive instructs the commander of the Israeli army in the West Bank to enable land settlement procedures in Area C and to register approximately 15 per cent of unregistered land in the area as part of the process.

Dr Suhad Bishara, Adalah’s legal director, said the move serves the expansion of Israeli settlements, deepens annexation efforts and effectively imposes Israeli sovereignty over occupied territory. She argued that the decision aligns with coalition commitments made to the Religious Zionist Party and reflects positions publicly expressed by ministers including Bezalel Smotrich and Yisrael Katz.

Adalah contended that the measure violates core principles of international humanitarian law and warned that its implementation could constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity.

In her letter, Bishara said that land ownership settlement procedures are sovereign acts that produce long-term — and potentially permanent — changes to the legal and property regime in the West Bank, which is regarded under international law as occupied territory.

Israeli officials have not yet publicly responded to the letter.

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