JERUSALEM: The Israeli Parliament has given its preliminary approval to a bill that seeks to extend Israeli law to the occupied West Bank — a move widely viewed as a step toward formal annexation of the territory claimed by Palestinians for a future state.
The bill passed its first reading in the Knesset by a narrow margin of 25–24, marking the first of four votes required for it to become law. The development came as US Vice President JD Vance visited Israel, just a month after President Donald Trump publicly opposed any Israeli annexation of the West Bank.
Interestingly, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party did not back the proposal, which was introduced by lawmakers outside his ruling coalition. However, a separate annexation-related bill, introduced by an opposition party to apply Israeli sovereignty over the Maale Adumim settlement, received 31 votes in favor and 9 against.
Several members from Netanyahu’s far-right coalition, including allies of National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir’s Jewish Power party and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s Religious Zionism faction, voted in support of the measure. Analysts note that even if the bill progresses, it must undergo a lengthy legislative process before it can be enacted.
Calls for annexation have long echoed within parts of Israel’s political establishment, particularly among right-wing factions who claim historical and biblical ties to the West Bank.
Israel maintains that the territories it seized during the 1967 Six-Day War are “disputed” rather than “occupied.” However, this view is rejected by the United Nations and much of the international community, which consider Israeli settlements in the area illegal under international law.
In 2024, the UN’s highest court reaffirmed that Israel’s occupation of Palestinian lands — including the West Bank — is unlawful, urging the country to end its control and withdraw its settlements “as soon as possible.”
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