Palestinian Vice President Hussein al-Sheikh said on Tuesday that he has barred all Palestinian institutions from engaging with measures approved by Israel’s Security Cabinet in the occupied West Bank and called for a “firm response”.
The decision came after the Cabinet approved measures aimed at changing the legal and civil status in the West Bank and deepening Israel’s grip on the occupied Palestinian territory.
“The Palestinian leadership has called on all civil and security institutions in the State of Palestine not to engage with the occupation’s measures, and to reject them, and adhere to the Palestinian laws enacted in the State of Palestine, in accordance with international law and signed agreements,” Sheikh said on X.
On Sunday, Israel’s Security Cabinet ordered the repealing of a law barring the sale of Palestinian land to Jews in the occupied West Bank, unsealing land ownership records and transferring building permit authority in a Hebron settlement bloc from the Palestinian municipality to Israel’s civil administration.
The measures also expand Israeli oversight and enforcement into areas classified as Area A and Area B, citing alleged violations related to unlicensed construction, water issues and damage to archaeological and environmental sites.
“We urge the Palestinian people to remain steadfast and resilient on their land, and to categorically reject dealing with the occupation’s laws, the most recent ones approved by the Israeli government a few days ago, which contradict international law and the agreements signed with the Palestine Liberation Organization,” Sheikh said.
“We also call on the international community to take a firm stand against Israel’s extreme-right government and its expansionist, racist and settler-colonial occupation.”