'Israel' establishes first civilian court in West Bank settlement
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A rabbinical court in the Ariel settlement has been established beyond the already-occupied Palestinian land, marking yet another violation by the Israeli occupation.
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Ariel's mayor, Yair Shitbon, hosts Chief Rabbi David Yosef and Minister Bezalel Smotrich at the newly formalized rabbinical court on July 2, 2025. (Social media)
Israeli news sources reported Tuesday that a rabbinical court in the illegal West Bank settlement of Ariel has been formally recognized as an independent judicial body, marking a dangerous precedent: the first civilian court officially established beyond the borders internationally recognized as "Israel".
A spokesperson for the rabbinical court system confirmed the move, framing it as part of the occupation’s broader effort to "expand state infrastructure," particularly religious and legal authority, deep into Palestinian land under military occupation.
Previously operating as a satellite of the Petah Tikva rabbinical court, the Ariel court will now function five days a week and serve the nearly 500,000 illegal Israeli settlers living across the West Bank. In the apartheid system imposed by “Israel,” rabbinical courts exercise broad jurisdiction over personal status matters for Jewish settlers, including marriage, divorce, and conversion, jurisdiction denied to Palestinians under occupation.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Sephardic Chief Rabbi David Yosef made the underlying political intent clear. "We came here today to strengthen settlement in the Land of Israel, as the establishment of the first permanent court in Judea and Samaria is a significant step for the approximately half a million [Israeli] residents" of the area, he said, invoking the biblical term for the West Bank.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a key figure in the Netanyahu government's pro-settlement wing, celebrated the court's establishment as a milestone in deepening Israeli control. "The court will strengthen [our] grip on the land of the Land of Israel," he declared.
It is worth noting that Smotrich also holds a portfolio within the Security Ministry that gives him considerable influence over the "Civil Administration and COGAT—bodies" that govern the day-to-day lives of Palestinians in Area C of the West Bank.
Annexation through courts
This move is being widely interpreted by critics and legal experts as a form of "creeping annexation". Under the Fourth Geneva Convention, an occupying power is prohibited from transferring parts of its civilian infrastructure, including courts, into occupied territory. By institutionalizing a civilian religious court within a settlement, "Israel" not only entrenches its presence in the West Bank but also blurs the legal line between "recognized" occupied territory and non-recognized occupied Palestinian territory.
Moreover, human rights groups and international observers have expressed concern that this judicial expansion is part of a broader Israeli strategy to incrementally erase the distinction between the state and the occupied territories.
The development coincides with mounting calls within the Israeli government to formally annex the West Bank. On that note, Justice Minister Yariv Levin recently told settler leader Yossi Dagan that annexation should move forward, a position echoed by other senior officials.
Read more: 'Israel' defies law, approves 22 illegal West Bank settlements
