Israel launches digital land registry in West Bank, Palestinians decry 'colonial step'

Israel has officially launched a new digital land registration system in the occupied West Bank, a move Palestinian officials have strongly condemned as a "dangerous colonial step" that attacks their historical and legal rights.

The platform, codenamed "Grenade" and named the Land Registry and Settlement of Rights, began operating on Wednesday, May 28, 2026. It is designed to record and formalize land ownership in Area C, a region comprising approximately 60% of the West Bank and under full Israeli military and administrative control since the Oslo Accords.

Israeli authorities claim the platform will simplify property registration and provide legal certainty regarding land ownership. This process for Area C was reopened earlier this year, the first time since Israel occupied the West Bank in 1967 and transferred land settlement authority to its military. The Israeli government has allocated tens of millions of dollars for the program, which could potentially cover about 58% of Area C.

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a dangerous colonial step that is a direct attack on the historical and legal rights of the Palestinian people over their land and property.

Palestinian authorities, including the Palestinian Land Authority and the Jerusalem Governorate, have called on Palestinians in the West Bank to boycott the Israeli system. They urged international bodies like the United Nations and the International Criminal Court to halt what they deem illegal policies. Moayad Shaaban, head of the Commission for Resistance of Colonization and Wall (CRRC), stated this policy signifies a shift from traditional land control to "digital and administrative colonial engineering" aimed at imposing a permanent legal reality in the occupied territories.

These developments occur amidst Israel's plans to expand settlements. Tenders are set to open on June 1 for over 3,400 new settlement units in the E1 corridor, a strategically vital area connecting East Jerusalem with the Ma'ale Adumim settlement bloc.

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a shift in the occupation's policy from traditional field control to digital and administrative colonial engineering aimed at imposing a permanent legal reality in the occupied Palestinian territories.