Tabo (طابو). The everyday word for land registered in the official land registry, with a title that names its owners and their shares. Registered land is the easiest to prove, transfer and sell. Much land in Palestine is not in that position — it is held under older arrangements or informal family divisions — and establishing what is actually owned comes first.
Hasr irth (حجة حصر إرث). The inheritance certificate that establishes who the heirs are and each one's share. In Palestine it comes from the Sharia court, or the relevant ecclesiastical court for Christian families. Until it exists, the land registry will not move a parcel out of a deceased person's name.
Wakala khassa (وكالة خاصة). A special power of attorney: authority for one named act on one named parcel, and the usual choice for a single sale or transfer. A wakala to sell, transfer or mortgage land must be drawn up at a Palestinian embassy or consulate; the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs will not authenticate one made elsewhere. There is no Palestinian mission in the United States, so this means one abroad — such as the one in Amman — followed by authentication at the Ministry. We confirm the route before you sign.
Property registration (تسجيل العقار). Recording a transfer, an inheritance or a division at the land registry. The land is identified by its village or town, basin and parcel numbers (and neighborhood, if any), not by a description — which is why those numbers are the first thing we ask for.