Photo: ReutersIsrael's cabinet on Sunday approved further measures to tighten Israel's control over the occupied West Bank and make it easier for settlers to buy land, a move Palestinians called a "de-facto annexation". Defence Minister Israel Katz said land registration was a vital security measure while the cabinet said in a statement it was an "appropriate response to illegal land registration processes promoted by the Palestinian Authority." Israeli settlement watchdog Peace Now said the measure could lead to dispossession of Palestinians from up to half of the West Bank. US President Donald Trump has ruled out Israeli annexation of the West Bank but his administration has not sought to curb Israel's accelerated settlement building. The Gaza health ministry says that at least 600 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire since the Gaza deal began.

Source: Otago Daily Times February 16, 2026 08:25 UTC