Cabinet deepens Israel's hold on Judea and Samaria

(JNS) — The Israeli Cabinet on Sunday approved a series of measures aimed at deepening Jerusalem’s hold on Judea and Samaria and expanding Jewish communities in the region, according to Hebrew-language media.

The decisions promoted by Defense Minister Israel Katz and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich are reportedly expected to bring about far-reaching changes to land acquisition rules in Judea and Samaria.

The approved measures include lifting confidentiality from land registry records; canceling historic restrictions on land sales to non-Arabs; and abolishing the requirement for prior approva...