Judea and Samaria
Judea and SamariaFlash 90

Legal advisers in the Ministry of Defense and the IDF compiled an opinion that Jews should be allowed to buy land as individuals in Judea and Samaria, Haaretz reported Sunday.

According to the report, the precedent-setting opinions are now on the desk of Deputy Attorney General Erez Kaminitz, who is expected to approve them with the backing of Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit.

The opinion also recommends easing the requirement for a permit for any land deal in Judea and Samaria, a requirement that also constitutes a heavy barrier to land acquisition by Jews.

"The permit is intended to prevent purchase by hostile factors, a justification from the Jordanian period. This justification raises the question of the status of the party applying for a permit, including an Israeli, and his being perceived as a hostile factor in circumstances in which the Israeli military government is the sovereign in the region," the opinion said.

This is nothing less than a revolution in real estate law in Judea and Samaria, which is still under Ottoman, Mandatory and Jordanian legislation.

According to the current situation, only Jordanians, Palestinian Arabs or "foreigners of Arab origin" are allowed to purchase land in Judea and Samaria, according to Jordanian legislation that is still valid in Judea and Samaria. With the aim of circumventing the ban, a number of Jewish owned companies have been registered in the Civil Administration over the years, whose sole purpose is to constitute a means of lawfully holding land.

If the new opinion is adopted, Israeli Jews will for the first time be allowed to register as acquired private land and avoid the need to establish straw companies for the purpose of the acquisitions.