Knesset Panel Moves to Scrap Decades-Old Ban on Jewish Land Purchases in Judea and Samaria
In a notable shift announced during Tuesday’s session of the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, a Defense Ministry representative revealed that the ministry is advancing a military directive to nullify the longstanding prohibition on Jews buying land in Judea and Samaria. This directive, they noted, is being pushed in tandem with the parliamentary process and may take effect even before the bill completes its passage through the Knesset.
The announcement came as MK Boaz Bismuth presided over a meeting in which the committee voted to send legislation to its first reading. The measure seeks to do away with the 1953 “Jordanian Law,” a regulation that has, until now, barred Jews from directly obtaining land rights in Judea and Samaria.
Lawmakers explained that the new legislation is crafted to permit any Israeli citizen, as well as any individual eligible under the Law of Return, to acquire property in these areas without needing to rely on complicated loopholes or alternative frameworks.
For many years, those wishing to purchase land had to maneuver through an indirect structure — often establishing a locally registered company — solely to circumvent the prohibition. The process was notoriously cumbersome and slowed or prevented many transactions.
Following the committee’s debate, the leaders of the Land of Israel Lobby welcomed the developments, saying: “Today we took a significant step towards correcting a historical and racist injustice. It is unacceptable that in the Land of Israel there should be a restriction on Jews acquiring land simply because of their Jewish identity. We expect the law to pass as soon as possible in the plenary so that we can move forward with the second and third readings and end the racist discrimination against Jews.”
{Matzav.com}
