Credit: Robert - stock.adobe.com

Sweeping changes agreed by Israeli ministers on Sunday will make it easier for Israelis to buy land and construct homes in the West Bank.

Israel’s finance minister Bezalel Smotrich, who leads the far-right Religious Zionism party, declared that the move “will continue to kill the idea of a Palestinian state”.

The Israeli military is also to take control of planning and construction in the city of Hebron — home to around 200,000 Palestinians and 700 Israeli settlers — as well as some civil services in other Palestinian cities.

Peace Now, an Israeli NGO supporting a two-state solution, said the decision is “not about deepening annexation in Area C, but about dangerous and irresponsible sovereignty measures also in Areas A and B, and about breaking every possible barrier on the path to massive land theft in the West Bank”.

The UK government yesterday said it “strongly condemns” the plans.

“The major changes to land, enforcement, and administrative powers proposed in the West Bank will harm efforts to advance peace and stability,” a spokesperson for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said.

“The UK has been clear: any unilateral attempt to alter the geographic or demographic make-up of Palestine is wholly unacceptable and would be inconsistent with international law. We call on Israel to reverse these decisions immediately.

“A two-state solution remains the only viable path to long-term peace with a safe and secure Israel living alongside a viable and sovereign Palestine.”