JERUSALEM: Israel is considering annexation in the occupied West Bank as a possible response to France and other countries recognizing a Palestinian state, according to three Israeli officials, and the idea will be discussed further on Sunday, another official said.
Extension of Israeli sovereignty to the West Bank — de facto annexation of land captured in the 1967 Middle East war — was on the agenda for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s security Cabinet meeting late on Sunday, which was expected to focus on the Gaza war, a member of the small circle of ministers said.
It is unclear precisely where any such measure would be applied and when, whether only in Israeli settlements or some of them, or in specific areas of the West Bank, such as the Jordan Valley.
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The UN’s highest court in 2024 said that Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories, including the West Bank, and its settlements there are illegal and should be withdrawn as soon as possible.
Additionally, it is unclear whether any concrete steps, which would likely entail a lengthy legislative process, would follow discussions.
Any step toward annexation in the West Bank would likely draw widespread condemnation from the Palestinians, who seek the territory for a future state, as well as Arab and Western countries.
A spokesperson for Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar did not respond to a request for comment on whether Saar had discussed the move with his US counterpart Marco Rubio during his visit to Washington last week.
A past pledge by Netanyahu to annex Jewish settlements and the Jordan Valley was scrapped in 2020.
The office of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The US said on Friday it would not allow Abbas to travel to New York for the UN gathering of world leaders, where several US allies are set to recognize Palestine as a state.
Israel, which is facing mounting international criticism over the war in Gaza, is angered by pledges by France, Britain, Australia, and Canada to formally recognize a Palestinian state at a summit during the UN General Assembly in September.
The UN’s highest court in 2024 said that Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories, including the West Bank, and its settlements there are illegal and should be withdrawn as soon as possible.
Israel argues the territories are not occupied in legal terms because they are on disputed lands, but the UN and most of the international community regard them as occupied territory.
Its annexations of East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights decades ago have not won international recognition.
Members of Netanyahu’s ruling coalition have been calling for years for Israel to formally annex parts of the West Bank, territory, to which Israel cites biblical and historical ties.
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