Netanyahu Doctrine Puts West Bank Land Measures in Focus

In February 2026, Israel’s government authorized the resumption of land-registration procedures in Area C, allocated an initial NIS 244 million for the process through 2030 and created new positions to carry it out. Hundreds of former senior members of Israel’s security and governmental establishments petitioned the High Court of Justice, arguing that these measures and other administrative changes amounted to de facto annexation.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu presented a new national security doctrine and a map of regional alignments on October 18, ahead of Israel’s October 27 parliamentary elections. The focus on military power and regional blocs came as disputes continued over the West Bank’s future and the government’s Area C measures. Those disputes haven’t gone away.

Land administration and annexation claims

The government described the February measures as steps short of annexation, tied to security, land administration and stronger Israeli control. The petitioners argued that the measures, together with other administrative changes, amounted to de facto annexation.

In a separate opinion article, Ami Ayalon, Gilead Sher and Orni Petruschka argued that sovereignty can emerge incrementally through changes in land administration, planning, settlement, jurisdiction, regulation and governmental authority. They called for an explicit decision by the elected government and Knesset after transparent public debate, rather than what they described as administrative accumulation.

The authors said the next government should prioritize the West Bank after the October 27 election, begin a transparent national process on its future and review measures enacted in February. They also called for an assessment of the security, legal, diplomatic, economic and democratic consequences of the alternatives. That review, they argued, should address each of those areas.

They warned that extending sovereignty over the West Bank would require Israel to address the political status and rights of Palestinians living there. Granting Palestinians Israeli citizenship and full political rights would have profound demographic and political implications, they wrote. If Israel maintained sovereignty while denying those rights, they said, “would amount to apartheid.”

A doctrine built around force and blocs

Netanyahu’s doctrine, developed with help from Israel’s National Security Council and published by the Prime Minister’s Office, emphasizes preemptive strikes, stronger home-front defenses, new partnerships and “buffer zones” on Israel’s borders. His office said the “War of Redemption necessitated an upgrade of fundamental principles” in the national security doctrine, including prioritizing prevention and offense over containment and defense.

The map divided parts of the Middle East and Africa into competing blocs, including states, unrecognized entities and non-state actors. It showed Israel and the United Arab Emirates in a “Hexagon Alliance,” alongside Greece, Ethiopia and parts of India. It also placed Hezbollah, the Houthis and Iran in an “Axis of Resistance.” Germany’s Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Institute first published the map in May.

The map depicted southwestern Sudan, controlled by the Rapid Support Forces, as friendly to Israel and the UAE. United Nations experts and media reports have described extensive Emirati support for the RSF, led by former Janjaweed leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo and widely accused of committing genocide in Darfur. The UAE has officially denied backing the RSF.

Regional ties and political consequences

The map showed a “Sunni Diamond Alliance” comprising Egypt, Turkiye, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. The latter three signed the Mecca mutual defence pact in August. Jordan, whose peace treaty with Israel dates to 1994, appeared friendly to that alliance rather than aligned with Israel. Netanyahu’s earlier proposal for a “hexagon of alliances” envisaged cooperation among Israel, India, Greece, Cyprus and unnamed Arab, African and Asian partners; it hasn’t become a formal alliance.

Al Jazeera reported that analysts saw political calculations in the presentation ahead of the election. Netanyahu faced criticism over his conduct in office, an ongoing corruption trial, his handling of the October 7, 2023 attacks and the wars that followed. U.S. President Donald Trump endorsed Netanyahu on Sunday. Netanyahu said Israel could face a less supportive U.S. administration after Trump’s presidency ends, arguing that Israel must “expand our network of alliances and develop capabilities that make us a valuable asset” to other countries.

Mohanad Hage Ali, deputy director for research at the Malcolm H Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center, said the framework “incubates and nurtures existential fears” that could make voters feel they need a decisive leader. He warned that expanding military control could bring “more conflict and more ethnic cleansing” under the guise of security buffers. Gadi Eisenkot called the doctrine “two hollow pages, full of slogans that have nothing to do with a security concept.” Former Prime Minister Yair Lapid described it as “superficial.”