Israel's neighbors condemn "de facto beginning" of West Bank annexation

2 hours ago 5

Jerusalem — Israel's authorities has approved a process to registry onshore successful the occupied West Bank arsenic "state property," drafting condemnation from Arab nations and critics who said it would accelerate annexation of the Palestinian territory.

Israel's overseas ministry said the measure, approved precocious Sunday, would alteration "transparent and thorough clarification of rights to resoluteness ineligible disputes" and was needed aft unlawful onshore registration successful areas controlled by the Palestinian Authority.

But Egypt, Qatar and Jordan criticized the determination arsenic amerciable nether planetary law.

Arab nations, Palestinians telephone determination "de facto beginning" of annexation

In a statement, the Egyptian authorities called it a "dangerous escalation aimed astatine consolidating Israeli power implicit the occupied Palestinian territories."

Qatar's overseas ministry condemned the "decision to person West Bank lands into alleged 'state property'," saying it would "deprive the Palestinian radical of their rights."

Israel-Continues-Destruction-of-Palestinian-Buildings-in-West-Ba

Jordan's overseas ministry said successful a connection that the state "strongly condemns the actions of the Israeli authorities targeting the annexation of occupied Palestinian land, astir precocious the illegitimate Israeli authorities determination converting lands successful the West Bank into alleged 'state property.' This constitutes a blatant usurpation of planetary instrumentality and planetary humanitarian law, undermines the inalienable close of the Palestinian radical to self-determination, and obstructs the constitution of their autarkic sovereign authorities ."

The Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority called for planetary involution to forestall the "de facto opening of the annexation process and the undermining of the foundations of the Palestinian state."

Israeli anti-settlement watchdog Peace Now called the measurement a "mega onshore grab."

Israeli colony successful the occupied West Bank

The process volition instrumentality spot lone successful Area C, which constitutes immoderate 60% of West Bank territory and is nether Israeli information and administrative control.

"There was a batch of ambiguity regarding the land, and Israel decided present to woody with it," Peace Now co-directorJonathan Mizrachi told AFP connected Monday, adding that the existing ambiguity implicit Area C onshore ownership is apt to beryllium utilized against Palestinians.

"A batch of onshore that Palestinians see theirs, they volition find retired it's not theirs nether this caller registration process," helium said, adding the determination volition further the Israeli right's annexation agenda.

The European Union besides issued a connection condemning the determination Monday arsenic a "new escalation aft caller measures already aimed astatine extending Israeli control" of the Palestinian territory.

"We reiterate that annexation is amerciable nether planetary law," EU overseas affairs spokesperson Anouar El Anouni said successful a statement. "We telephone connected Israel to reverse this decision."

There was nary contiguous absorption from Israeli officials to the condemnation from the country's neighbors and the EU.

"Rapid steps to alteration permanently the demography" of the West Bank

Last week, Israel's information furniture approved a bid of measures backed by far-right ministers to tighten power implicit areas of the West Bank administered by the Palestinian Authority nether the Oslo accords, successful spot since the 1990s.

Those measures, which besides sparked planetary backlash, see allowing Jewish Israelis to bargain West Bank onshore straight and allowing Israeli authorities to administer definite spiritual sites successful areas nether the Palestinian Authority's control.

The moves drew a associated connection from 8 Muslim-majority nations, including adjacent U.S. allies Jordan, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, condemning "in the strongest presumption the amerciable Israeli decisions and measures aimed astatine imposing unlawful Israeli sovereignty, entrenching colony activity, and enforcing a caller ineligible and administrative world successful the occupied West Bank, thereby accelerating attempts astatine its amerciable annexation and the displacement of the Palestinian people."

Palestinians spot the West Bank arsenic foundational to immoderate aboriginal Palestinian state, but galore connected Israel's spiritual close privation to instrumentality implicit the land.

Around 3 cardinal Palestinians unrecorded successful the territory, which Israel has occupied since 1967.

The latest Israeli initiatives travel amid a wider discourse of increasing attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinians successful the territory, according to rights groups.

"We are witnessing accelerated steps to alteration permanently the demography of the occupied Palestinian territory, stripping its radical of their lands and forcing them to leave," United Nations rights main Volker Turk said successful a caller statement.

Excluding Israeli-annexed eastbound Jerusalem, much than 500,000 Israelis unrecorded successful West Bank settlements and outposts, which are amerciable nether planetary law. Israel has conducted galore military and constabulary operations successful the West Bank successful caller years, accusing Hamas and different violent groups of operating successful the territory and utilizing it arsenic a level from which to motorboat attacks connected Israel.

Trump medication quieter aft repeatedly rejecting annexation

President Trump has opposed Israel's annexation of the West Bank, saying stableness successful the territory helps support Israel secure, but helium has not straight criticized the latest Israeli measures, contempt the planetary outrage.

"I volition not let Israel to annex the West Bank," Mr. Trump told reporters bluntly successful September 2025. "There's been capable [Israeli colony expansion]. It's clip to halt now."

Vice President JD Vance criticized connected Thursday a vote by the Israeli parliament to beforehand a measure connected the projected annexation of the occupied West Bank, calling it "a precise anserine governmental stunt."

"I personally instrumentality immoderate insult to it," Vance said astatine Israel's Ben Gurion airdrome arsenic helium departed the state aft his visit. "The West Bank is not going to beryllium annexed by Israel. The argumentation of the Trump medication is that the West Bank volition not beryllium annexed by Israel. That volition proceed to beryllium our policy. And if radical privation to instrumentality symbolic votes, they tin bash that, but we surely weren't blessed astir it."

Many far-right nationalist members of the Israeli government have voiced anticipation since Mr. Trump won his 2nd word successful office, however, that his pro-Israel stance could marque annexation a reality.

Netanyahu's Likud enactment is portion of a conjugation authorities — formed to support him successful power —
with extremist right-wing nationalist parties including the Religious Zionist Party. Netanyahu committed to pursuing West Bank annexation successful Likud's conjugation statement with the Religious Zionist Party.

"The radical of Israel person a earthy close to the Land of Israel," the statement says. "In airy of the content successful the aforementioned right, the Prime Minister volition pb the formulation and promotion of a argumentation wrong the model of which sovereignty volition beryllium applied successful the West Bank, portion choosing the timing and considering each nationalist and planetary interests of the authorities of Israel."

Bezalel Smotrich, Israel's concern curate and a subordinate of the Religious Zionist Party, said successful 2024 that helium believed Israel could enactment with the then-incoming Trump medication to beforehand annexation of the West Bank.

In: