Overview
- The security cabinet approved measures that scrap a 1953 Jordanian ban on sales to non‑Arabs, declassify land registries, and revive a state panel for proactive land purchases.
- Israel extended enforcement over environmental, archaeological and water issues into Areas A and B and shifted planning and permit powers in Hebron and at Rachel’s Tomb to Israeli authorities.
- Energy Minister Eli Cohen said the steps constitute “de facto sovereignty,” while Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich vowed to extinguish the idea of a Palestinian state.
- Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas condemned the move and ordered institutions not to engage with it, as eight Arab countries and the U.N. labeled the measures illegal.
- Implementation still needs military or administrative sign‑offs and possible Knesset action, and Netanyahu is heading to Washington as President Trump reiterates U.S. opposition to annexation.