Israeli lawmakers push symbolic motion to annex West Bank
Israel's parliament voted on Wednesday on a symbolic motion calling for the annexation of the occupied West Bank, a move that has sparked sharp condemnation from the Palestinian Authority.
The non-binding proposal, backed by 71 lawmakers and submitted by a cross-party group of lawmakers including Likud MK Dan Illouz and Settlements Minister Orit Strook of the Religious Zionism bloc, declares that Israel 'will not accept solutions that involve dangerous territorial concessions' and must commit to 'its future as a secure Jewish state.'
Though the motion carries no legal weight, it is widely seen as part of a broader effort to normalize calls for extending Israeli sovereignty over the territory it has occupied since the 1967 Arab-Israeli war. It follows a pattern of similar legislative and rhetorical pushes, including a Knesset resolution last year that overwhelmingly rejected the establishment of a Palestinian state.
The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates denounced the move, warning it would entrench a system of apartheid and further erode the prospects for peace.
In a statement released Wednesday, the ministry said the Knesset's actions reflect 'blatant disregard' for United Nations resolutions and the July 2024 advisory opinion by the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which affirmed the illegality of Israel's presence in the West Bank.
'These colonial measures deliberately undermine the implementation of the two-state solution,' the statement said, accusing the Israeli government of escalating toward a permanent occupation that fuels further conflict.
The ministry urged the international community to 'take these developments seriously' and act decisively to stop them, especially with a UN conference on the two-state solution approaching.
The Knesset vote comes against the backdrop of increasing tensions in the West Bank, where settlement expansion, military operations, and settler violence have drawn mounting international criticism. According to the UN, over 700,000 Israelis now live in settlements considered illegal under international law.
Wednesday's motion follows a January 2024 resolution passed by the Knesset rejecting Palestinian statehood by a margin of 68 to 9, reflecting broad parliamentary consensus on maintaining Israeli control over the occupied territory.
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