Hebron-area vineyard sparks legal battle over land rights

An Israeli watchdog group, Regavim, has petitioned the Supreme Court to remove what it calls Palestinian agricultural encroachment on state-owned land in Judea and Samaria. The petition focuses on a 0.68-acre vineyard near Qilqis, south of Hebron, which Regavim claims was illegally established in 2022 on rocky land in Area C. The group argues that the absence of Israeli sovereignty and a comprehensive land-registration system, coupled with the continued application of outdated Ottoman-era land laws, allows Palestinians to claim rights over unregistered land. Tamar Sikurel, spokesperson for Regavim, stated, "Legally, that means the system relies on the laws of the last sovereign power to govern the territory, and in effect, the last sovereign was the Ottoman Empire." Regavim estimates that this process has led to Palestinians gaining effective control over approximately 125,000 acres across Judea and Samaria, and seeks to change state policy and enforcement priorities.