By SCM REPORTER,
February 18, 2026
ISRAEL has been dubbed a “de facto annexation” of the West Bank last night as more than 80 countries united to condemn a controversial new land move.
In a massive showdown at the United Nations, a huge bloc of nations branded the Israeli government’s latest power play “unlawful” and demanded an immediate U-turn.
The global backlash follows a bombshell decision by the Israeli Security Cabinet to seize control of land registries and ramp up property sales to settlers in the occupied territory.
’ANNEXATION’ FEARS
Palestinian UN Ambassador Riyad Mansour, speaking for a coalition of over 80 states and organizations, warned that the moves are a “clear violation” of international law.
He claimed the strategy is designed to “tighten control” and make it easier for settlers to snap up Palestinian land, effectively wiping the hope of a two-state peace deal off the map.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres also waded into the row, warning that the registration of West Bank land as “state property” could lead to the mass “dispossession” of Palestinians.
The row erupted after Israeli officials scrapped Jordanian-era laws that had governed land ownership since 1967.
Critics say the new rules:
OPEN the door for Israeli nationals to buy property in areas previously under Palestinian civil control.
CEMENT Israel’s authority over the West Bank in a way that “cannot be reversed.”
VIOLATE the Geneva Convention, which bans an occupying power from moving its own civilians into occupied land.
The West Bank has been a tinderbox for decades, but the heat has reached boiling point in 2026.
Following a record-breaking year for settlement expansion in 2025, Israel’s latest legal tweaks move the goalposts.
By taking over the Land Registry, Israel is accused of bypassing the Oslo Accords—the 1990s peace deals that were supposed to pave the way for a Palestinian state.
International experts at the Hague have already ruled the occupation “unlawful,” but Israel’s government maintains they have a historical right to the land and are acting to ensure security.
”Such decisions are contrary to Israel’s obligations and must be immediately reversed.”
— Statement from 80+ UN Member States.
