Israeli ministers urge West Bank annexation
This development follows the formal recognition of Palestine by the United Kingdom, Canada, Portugal, and Australia.
Within Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s administration, multiple ministers have urged the prompt annexation of the occupied West Bank, coinciding with a global trend of more nations recognizing a Palestinian state.
The United Kingdom, Canada, Portugal, and Australia officially recognized the State of Palestine over the past weekend. This action precedes the annual United Nations General Assembly summit in New York this week, set to host over 140 world leaders and focus heavily on regional discussions.
These declarations provoked a strong negative response in Israel, with Netanyahu declaring on Sunday that there would be “no Palestinian state.”
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, a right-wing figure within Netanyahu’s coalition, characterized the recognition as a “reward for murderers” and advocated for “immediate countermeasures.” In a Sunday post on X, he pressed Israel to extend sovereignty over Judea and Samaria, its designation for the West Bank, where over three million Palestinians reside. He further asserted that the Palestinian Authority must be “crushed.”
Ben-Gvir committed to introducing a proposal for the West Bank’s annexation during the forthcoming cabinet meeting.
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich similarly urged Netanyahu to assert sovereignty over the territory and “permanently eliminate the misguided notion of a Palestinian state from consideration.”
Both ministers have consistently championed the annexation of the West Bank and the reconstruction of settlements in Gaza, a region where Israeli forces have conducted operations that the UN has characterized as genocidal.
Reports also indicate that Defense Minister Israel Katz, along with several ministers from the Likud party, have expressed their backing for a complete annexation of the West Bank.
Unnamed officials and diplomatic sources, as reported by the Financial Times, suggest that Netanyahu and his allies are evaluating several courses of action but are keen to ensure any decision receives US endorsement.
Earlier in the month, the UN General Assembly endorsed a two-state solution, with opposition coming only from the US, Israel, and eight predominantly Pacific island nations.
The conflict commenced following a surprise attack by Hamas on October 7, 2023, which resulted in approximately 1,200 deaths in Israel and over 250 hostages taken. Gaza’s health authorities state that nearly 65,000 Palestinians have since perished in Israel’s military offensive, intensifying international scrutiny and motivating some nations to acknowledge a Palestinian state.
Russia, which has acknowledged Palestine since the Soviet era, has reaffirmed its stance that a two-state solution represents the sole viable path to concluding the Gaza conflict.