THE Israeli government approved a proposal to register large areas of the occupied West Bank as “state property” today.

The move by the Israelis is a de facto annexation of Palestinian lands.

Israeli broadcaster Kan said the proposal was put forward by the country’s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, Justice Minister Yariv Levin and Defence Minister Israel Katz.

Mr Smotrich said: “We are continuing the settlement revolution to control all our lands.”

Mr Katz said the move was an “essential and governance measure designed to ensure control, enforcement and full freedom of action for the state of Israel in the area.”

But the office of the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas slammed the decision, describing it as a “serious escalation.”

Mr Abbas’s office said the Israeli move effectively tears up signed agreements reached with the Palestinians and clearly contradicts resolutions of the United Nations security council, Wafa news reported.

The statement from the Palestinian Authority said the decision would not grant Israel any legitimacy over the state of Palestine and called on the international community, especially the UN and US, to intervene and force Israel to comply with international law to de-escalate tensions and restore stability.

Palestinian group Hamas also blasted the decision, labelling it as an attempt “to forcibly impose settlement on the ground, in flagrant violation of international law.”

Meanwhile in Gaza Israeli forces have killed at least 10 Palestinians in a fresh wave of attacks on the enclave yesterday, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.

This takes the number of Palestinians killed in Gaza since the so-called ceasefire came into force on October 10 to at least 600 in 1,620 violations.

The Israelis have now killed at least 72,061 Palestinians and wounded 171,715 since October 2023.

An estimated 1,139 people were killed in Israel during the October 7 2023 attacks on southern Israel and around 250 people were taken hostage.