JERUSALEM: In a move widely seen as a step toward annexation, Israel’s parliament on Wednesday gave preliminary approval to a bill applying Israeli law to the occupied West Bank, territory that Palestinians seek for their future state.
The measure, which passed by 25 votes to 24 in the 120-member Knesset, marks the first of four required readings before it can become law. The vote coincided with the visit of U.S. Vice President JD Vance, just weeks after former President Donald Trump stated he would not permit Israel to annex the West Bank.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party abstained from supporting the bill, which was introduced by lawmakers outside his coalition. However, members from National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir’s Jewish Power party and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s Religious Zionism faction voted in favour. A separate proposal from the opposition to annex the Maale Adumim settlement also cleared its preliminary stage, passing 31-9.
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Calls for formal annexation have persisted among right-wing members of Netanyahu’s coalition, who cite biblical and historical claims to the West Bank. Israel maintains that the territory, captured during the 1967 Arab-Israeli war, is “disputed” rather than occupied, but the United Nations and most of the international community classify it as occupied Palestinian land.
In 2024, the UN’s International Court of Justice ruled Israel’s occupation and settlement construction illegal, urging withdrawal “as soon as possible.” The Palestinian Foreign Ministry condemned the Knesset vote, asserting that “Israel has no sovereignty over Palestinian land.” It reiterated that the West Bank, including Jerusalem, and Gaza Strip form a single territorial unit under international law.
The militant group Hamas also denounced the move, calling it “the ugly face of colonial occupation” and vowing that any attempt to annex West Bank territory would be “invalid and illegitimate.” Netanyahu’s government had reportedly considered annexation earlier this year as a response to several Western nations recognising a Palestinian state in September. However, the plan appeared to stall following Trump’s objections.
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The United Arab Emirates (UAE), a key signatory of the Abraham Accords — which normalised ties with Israel in 2020 — warned that annexation of the West Bank would cross a “red line.” Speaking at the Reuters NEXT Gulf Summit in Abu Dhabi, senior Emirati official Anwar Gargash said that “maximalist views on the Palestinian issue are no longer valid,” reflecting growing regional concern that Israel’s actions could destabilise fragile diplomatic progress.