Khaberni - Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said during his raid on the town of Ni'lin, west of Ramallah, today, Monday, that the Security and Political Cabinet approved the removal of barriers and the enhancement of settlement in the West Bank.
Smotrich said: "The Security and Political Cabinet approved a series of decisions that I formulated with Defense Minister Yisrael Katz, which were aimed at removing old barriers and enhancing settlement in Judea and Samaria (the West Bank) in a systematic and responsible way."
He added that "one of the basic steps is opening the land registry in the West Bank to the public. For years, these records were confidential, which made land buying difficult and led to a lack of transparency. Making the records public will increase certainty and allow for a more honest and transparent practice in the land market."
Smotrich pointed out that "in addition, we abolished old Jordanian regulations that prohibited the sale of lands to Jews and required complex procedures for obtaining 'transaction permits'. From now on, it will be possible to buy land in the West Bank through a simpler and more transparent process, similar to what is practiced in the Green Line areas, under reasonable professional conditions."
Smotrich said that "in Hebron, we made a decision to transfer the authority to issue building permits in the settlements and sacred sites from Palestinian bodies to the planning institutions of the Civil Administration, to enable more efficient and stable planning. At the same time, we strengthened the powers of the Hebron administration to meet the municipal needs of the residents directly."
He continued: "In addition, we expanded the scope of our activities in the fields of monitoring and enforcement related to water, archaeology, and environmental hazards—also in areas (A) and (B)—to protect natural resources and heritage throughout the region."
Smotrich believed that "these decisions are another step towards removing the discrimination and barriers that have accumulated over the years. We act responsibly and wisely within a clear legal framework, to enhance stability, create certainty, and establish a stable reality for the coming years."
He concluded, emphasizing that Israel "strengthens its control over the land and eliminates the idea of establishing an Arab terrorist state in the heart of the country."
