The Administrative Annexation Blueprint
Let's follow the trail: FIRST INSTANCE: The Legacy of Military Orders (1967 onward) Following the 1967 occupation of the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza, Israel established a military governance system. This involved promulgating thousands of Military Orders (MOs) that gradually transferred authority from military commanders to Israeli civilian bodies. For instance, MO 378 (1970) extended the
jurisdiction of Israeli military courts to Israeli citizens in the West Bank, blurring the lines of military occupation. Crucially, these orders were instrumental in facilitating Israeli settlement expansion, reclassifying vast tracts of land as 'state land' despite their Palestinian ownership under international law (B'Tselem, 2017). REPETITIONS: Judicial Compliance and Administrative Creep (1979
- 2004) The Israeli High Court of Justice, despite occasional dissenting opinions, largely upheld the validity of these military orders and the legality of settlements, often citing 'security needs' or 'absence of local law' (ICJ, 2004 advisory opinion). A key juncture was the 1979 Elon Moreh judgment, which, while ruling against the specific seizure for that settlement, set a precedent for
allowing settlement if based on 'state land' designation. This effectively shifted the burden of proof onto Palestinians to demonstrate ownership. Subsequently, the Israeli government established the 'Judea and Samaria Civil Administration' in 1981, transferring numerous powers from military to civilian officials, effectively embedding Israeli civil law within occupied territory (Amnesty