Inside Israel’s plan to turn West Bank land into ‘state property’
The Take
Al Jazeera
4.7 • 747 Ratings
🗓️ 18 February 2026
⏱️ 25 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
The Israeli government has approved a plan to claim large areas of the occupied West Bank as “state property” if Palestinians cannot prove ownership, prompting regional outcry and accusations of “de facto annexation.” The move forces Palestinians to navigate complex legal hurdles after decades of occupation and displacement, amid continued Jewish settlement expansion. What could this mean for the future of Palestinian land?
In this episode:
- Nida Ibrahim (@nida_journo), Al Jazeera Correspondent
Episode credits:
This episode was produced by Noor Wazwaz and Melanie Marich, with Tamara Khandaker, Marcos Bartolomé, Maya Hamadeh, Tuleen Barakat, and our guest host, Kevin Hirten. It was edited by Sarí el-Khalili.
Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our video editors are Hisham Abu Salah and Mohannad al-Melhem. Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer. Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera’s head of audio.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Al Jazeera Podcasts. |
| 0:11.0 | Today, Israel is redefining land ownership in the occupied West Bank. |
| 0:17.5 | This is final, this is definitive, this is maybe the last step towards annexation. |
| 0:23.6 | It is effectively annexation, just minus the name. |
| 0:27.6 | But as an occupying power, can Israel make permanent changes to land ownership? |
| 0:35.1 | I'm Kevin Horton, and this is The Take. |
| 0:45.8 | Before we continue with today's show, we want to hear from you. |
| 0:49.5 | How do you see this latest move in the Occupied West Bank, |
| 0:52.2 | and what questions do you have about where things go next? Leave us a comment and tell us what stories you want us to cover in the future. |
| 0:59.2 | And if you're listening on a podcast app, leave us a review and tell us where you're tuning in from. |
| 1:04.0 | And by the way, a five-star rating doesn't hurt either. |
| 1:10.4 | My name is Neda, I'm Al Jazeazeera correspondent in the Occupied West Bank, |
| 1:14.9 | and I'm speaking to you today from Loha. |
| 1:18.1 | Nida, welcome back to the take. |
| 1:21.1 | So you've spent months reporting on how Israeli policy is reshaping life in the occupied |
| 1:26.2 | West Bank, from settlement expansion to permit |
| 1:29.0 | systems and restrictions on movement. And a lot of what we're talking about today kind of |
| 1:34.0 | connects directly to your reporting. So I'm hoping this conversation can help us connect some of those dots. |
| 1:40.3 | So we'll start with the news. |
| 1:44.7 | Israel has approved restarting land registration in the occupied West Bank for the first time since |
| 1:50.5 | 1967. |
| 1:51.9 | Now, it sounds technical. |
... |
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