Israel: finance minister unveils plan to annex most of West Bank

Israel’s Finance Minister, Bezalel Smotrich, unveiled on September 3rd a controversial plan to annex the majority of the West Bank, according to Middle East Eye.

At a press conference, Smotrich proposed extending Israeli sovereignty into 82% of the West Bank, practically removing the possibility of a future Palestinian state, making the two-state solution unviable. The plan was organised by the Settlement Administration within the Ministry of Defence, and Smotrich presented a map bearing the ministry’s official logo to illustrate the proposal.

According to the plan, only six isolated Palestinian enclaves—where cities like Jenin, Tulkarm, Nablus, Ramallah, Jericho, and Hebron are situated—would remain outside Israeli jurisdiction. Other parts, including surrounding towns and villages, would be officially annexed. The proposal reflects Smotrich’s principle of seizing “maximum land with minimum [Palestinian] population.”

“We can never allow an existential threat to establish itself among us, and after decades of hesitation, it is time to state this clearly and act accordingly,” he said. “It is time to apply Israeli sovereignty over Judea and Samaria [the biblical term for the West Bank] and remove, once and for all, the idea of dividing our small land and establishing a terrorist state in its heart.”

Smotrich’s plan also envisions dismantling the Palestinian Authority (PA), which is the globally recognised governing body in parts of the West Bank, formed under the 1993 Oslo Accords. He instead proposed “regional civilian management alternatives,” warning that if the PA was to put up a fight, it would be “destroyed.”

“Judea and Samaria are not disputed territory; they are the inheritance of our ancestors for generations,” Smotrich asserted. “There will never, and can never be, a Palestinian state in our land.”

The Palestinian foreign ministry strongly denounced Smotrich’s remarks as a “continuous and direct threat to the realisation of a Palestinian state,” according to the official Wafa news agency.

Israel’s parliament passed a non-binding resolution in July, in favour of annexation. While carrying no legal force, it was seen as a symbolic step to pave the way for future unilateral action. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar also reportedly suggested to his US counterpart, Marco Rubio, that Israel was quietly advancing towards “applying sovereignty” over the West Bank.

Under international law, Annexation of occupied territory is illegal. Nevertheless, Israel has already annexed occupied East Jerusalem and the Syrian Golan Heights since the 1967 Middle East war, in actions never acknowledged by the international community. Under the 1993 Oslo accord, the West Bank was split into three parts, all considered Palestinian land under international law. Israeli settlements across this territory are deemed illegal by that same standard.

Middle East Eye, Wafa, Maghrebi.org