Israel News for 2-9-2026
News Update
The security cabinet has approved various measures that make it much easier for Jews to buy land in Judea and Samaria. The cabinet canceled a law banning land sales to foreigners and abolished the requirement for special transaction permits. Until now, Jews were prohibited from purchasing land directly and had to do so through locally registered companies. Under the new framework, most barriers to land purchases are removed, with transactions requiring only basic professional registration rather than approval from the Civil Administration. Jewish buyers will now also be able to look up owners in land-owning registries and approach them directly with purchase offers. The government summarized the measures as allowing Jews to “purchase land in Judea and Samaria just as they purchase in Tel Aviv or Jerusalem.”
[Sounds fair. If an Arab wants to sell his property and a Jew wants to buy it, and they both agree to make the transaction, what could be wrong with that? Unless, of course, you believe that Jews should be discriminated against and be prohibited to by real estate??]
Also, planning and construction authority for the Jewish settlement in the city, including at the Cave of the Patriarchs, will be transferred from the Hebron municipality, which is under the Palestinian Authority, to Israeli authorities. Similar steps were approved for Rachel’s Tomb, located within Bethlehem’s municipal boundaries, including the establishment of a dedicated Israeli municipal administration for the site and an adjacent yeshiva.
The measures also authorize Israeli enforcement bodies to act against illegal Palestinian construction even in Area A, a move that until now had been largely restricted to Area B. The policy would allow demolitions and land expropriation in cases involving damage to archaeological or heritage sites.
In a rare joint statement, the foreign ministers of Egypt, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey, Indonesia and Pakistan condemned what they described as “illegal Israeli decisions and steps aimed at imposing illegitimate Israeli sovereignty, entrenching settlements and creating a new legal and administrative reality in the West Bank.” The EU also criticized the move. [So much for fairness and free economies.]
If you’re wondering why we haven’t been publishing IsraelAM regularly over the past month or so, the reason is simple: there just hasn’t been much to report. We think that’s a great thing and hope it continues. But rest assured, as things start to happen, we will continue to tell you about them in this newsletter, so please stay tuned and keep reading!
