Over 70 Israeli lawmakers passed a motion in the Knesset on Wednesday, calling on the government to annex the West Bank amid mounting violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians, according to AFP.
Symbolic Motion
Members of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing coalition and some opposition lawmakers have supported this non-binding vote in the Knesset. However, this symbolic move has nothing to do with the Palestinian territory’s legal status.
Moreover, fifteen Israeli Cabinet Ministers from Netanyahu’s Likud party have recently pushed him to immediately annex the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
The lawmakers have signed a petition requesting the administration “to apply sovereignty over Judea and Samaria (West Bank) before the end of the Knesset summer session,” which ends on July 27.
They also implied that the current moment is appropriate for the annexation thanks to strong US-Israeli relations and the recent military gains.
On Wednesday, lawmakers stressed that annexing the West Bank “will strengthen the state of Israel, its security and prevent any questioning of the fundamental right of the Jewish people to peace and security in their homeland.”
They justified this move by stating that the West Bank was an integral part of the realization of Zionism and the national vision of the Jewish people.
Palestinian Rejection
In a response to this move, Hussein Al-Sheikh, Deputy to Palestinian Authority President Mahmud Abbas, described the motion as “a direct assault on the rights of the Palestinian people.” Al-Sheikh also noted that it undermines the prospects for peace, stability and the two-state solution.
“These unilateral Israeli actions blatantly violate international law and the ongoing international consensus regarding the status of the Palestinian territories, including the West Bank,” he wrote on X.
Mounting Settler Violence
The UN Human Rights Office said that violence against Palestinians in the West Bank is growing with increasing number of killings and attacks by settlers and security forces, according to Reuters.
Approximately 1 million Israeli settlers live in illegal settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem in violation of international law.
OHCHR noted that settlers have launched 757 attacks on Palestinians or their properties since January 2025.
Building Jewish State
In May, Defense Minister Israel Katz said that Israel planned to build a “Jewish Israeli state” in the occupied West Bank, according to Al-Arabiya.
Katz’s remarks followed Israel’s announcement of the creation of 22 new settlements in the West Bank.
He also noted that the new settlements would be a clear message to French President Emmanuel Macron and his associates: they will recognize a Palestinian state on paper – but Israel will build the Jewish Israeli state here on the ground.
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