Under the guise of confrontation with Iran.. Israel accelerates 'legislative coup' to annex the West Bank and Jerusalem

While the clamor of military confrontation between Israel and Iran dominates the international media scene, the Israeli demographic and legal change machine in the occupied West Bank is operating at an unprecedented speed. The far-right government is exploiting the current security conditions as a cover to pass a series of legislative and administrative changes aimed at reshaping the reality on the ground and obliterating any horizon for the establishment of a future Palestinian state.

Observers believe that the confrontation with Tehran has turned for Tel Aviv into a 'geopolitical opportunity' that allows for the reformulation of regional reality away from the eyes of the world. This 'silent legislative coup' practically aims to end the Palestinian legal and administrative presence in vast areas, and to transform the West Bank into an integral part of the Israeli administrative system under the thick smoke of regional battles.

February 2026 witnessed a historic step represented by the Israeli government's approval, for the first time since 1967, of registering vast areas of West Bank land as 'state land'. This step paves the way for changing administrative law and restricting legal protection for Palestinian lands, which is a practical prelude to large-scale annexation operations with new legal coverage that undermines the historical property rights of Palestinians.

Measures did not stop there, but also included decisions by the Ministerial Committee 'the Cabinet' to cancel the law that had been in force since the Jordanian era, which prevented settlers from buying land in the West Bank. This fundamental amendment opens the door wide for settlement associations to directly and legally control Palestinian properties and lands according to the new Israeli system.

In a related context, the powers of the civil administration were transferred directly to the occupation authorities, which contributed to dismantling the existing legal structures that regulated Palestinian affairs. Human rights organizations, including 'Peace Now', considered these steps to be a 'window of opportunity' exploited by settlers to strengthen their administrative and political influence in the heart of Palestinian communities.

On the ground, settler violence escalated remarkably, with thousands of armed individuals in military uniform carrying out daily attacks including shooting and land confiscation. These movements reflect official complicity by the occupation security apparatus to enhance settler control, according to reports by 'B'Tselem' which monitored an increase in the pace of organized attacks against Palestinian villages and towns.

As part of what is called the 'Capital Shield' operation, the occupation authorities demolished more than 35 Palestinian structures in the Qalandia and Kafr Aqab areas to reinforce the settlement contact line. This dual strategy reveals an Israeli desire to establish solid settlement facts within the West Bank and Jerusalem, benefiting from the major powers' preoccupation with the outcomes of the war in the region.

For his part, political analyst Oreib Al-Rantawi confirmed that recent measures, such as the closure of Al-Aqsa Mosque during the month of Ramadan, were carried out without much fanfare to reduce the cost of popular reaction. Al-Rantawi explained that the Israeli right is betting on the absence of an official and popular Palestinian reaction to impose fundamental changes in the structure of the Holy City and its geographical surroundings.

Al-Rantawi pointed out in statements to media sources that Israel is carrying out a daily 'de facto annexation' that includes land registration, the cancellation of old Jordanian laws, and the construction of settlements in sensitive locations. He added that the ultimate goal is to encircle Jerusalem and completely isolate its neighborhoods, in addition to emptying Area C and the Jordan Valley of their Palestinian residents to formally annex them to Israeli sovereignty.

At the international level, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, warned that Israel has exploited security conditions to accelerate 'illegal annexation'. Türk confirmed in a recent report that more than 36,000 Palestinians have been displaced in the West Bank since the beginning of this year, which amounts to a dangerous and continuous demographic change that threatens international peace.

In the context of regional pressures, King Abdullah II of Jordan warned against any attempts to displace Palestinians or annex lands in Gaza and the West Bank. The King stressed during international contacts that these measures provoke political and strategic earthquakes that affect the security of the entire region, emphasizing the need to keep Palestinians on their land and prevent the liquidation of their cause.

Human rights reports indicate that the Israeli government has imposed strict restrictions on the work of international organizations within the West Bank, which facilitates demolition and displacement operations away from oversight. According to 'Human Rights Watch', these restrictions aim to conceal facts on the ground from the international community and prevent the documentation of systematic violations against Palestinian civilians.

The official Palestinian scene, according to observers, appears unable to provide a political response that rises to the level of existential challenges imposed by the occupation's measures. While the 'Israelization' processes in Jerusalem and the West Bank are accelerating, the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah remains absent from effective influence, leaving the field open for rapid settlement expansion.

What is happening today in the West Bank is not merely transient security measures, but a comprehensive redrawing of the political and geographical map of occupied Palestine. With the continued smoke of regional battles, Israel continues to seize land and dismantle rights, exploiting the world's silence and preoccupation with other issues to implement its final settlement project.

While eyes are watching the clamor of battles in the region, Israel is advancing in the West Bank and Jerusalem with steady steps to redraw maps on the ground.