October 23, 2025 | 05:21 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Israeli Parliament, or Knesset, on Wednesday, October 22, approved the initial phase of two draft laws aimed at annexing the occupied West Bank territory. According to Al Jazeera, the vote marked the first step of the required four stages to pass the drafts into law.
Two West Bank Annexation Bills
The first draft, which proposes the application of Israeli sovereignty over the Judea and Samaria (West Bank) region, was approved by a vote of 25 to 24. The second draft, targeting the annexation of the large settlement of Maale Adumim east of Jerusalem, passed with a vote of 32 to 9.
As reported by Al Arabiya, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asked Likud Party members not to participate in the voting. In a statement, Likud referred to the vote as a provocation by the opposition aimed at damaging our relationship with the United States.
He emphasized, "True sovereignty will be achieved not through a showy law for the record, but through proper work on the ground." The vote took place concurrently with the visit of U.S. Vice President JD Vance to Israel to strengthen the ceasefire in Gaza mediated by President Donald Trump.
A month earlier, Trump stated at the White House that he would not allow Israel to annex the West Bank. "I will not allow Israel to annex the West Bank. It’s not going to happen," he said last September.
Several ministers from the right-wing parties in Netanyahu's coalition, including Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, supported the drafts.
Smotrich wrote in X, "The people have spoken. The time has come to apply full sovereignty over all the territories of Judea and Samaria – the inheritance of our forefathers – and to promote peace agreements in exchange for peace with our neighbours, from a position of strength." The drafts were submitted by Avi Maoz, the leader of the ultra-nationalist party Noam, which is outside the government coalition.
Impact on the Two-State Solution
According to a report by Al Jazeera, the annexation of the West Bank would eliminate the possibility of implementing the two-state solution outlined in the UN resolution. All Israeli settlements in the territory are declared illegal under international law.
The West Bank, excluding East Jerusalem, which Israel has annexed, is currently home to approximately three million Palestinian residents and over 500,000 Israeli settlers. Last August, the Israeli government approved a major settlement construction project between Maale Adumim and Jerusalem. During an event in Maale Adumim last September, Netanyahu reiterated, "We are going to fulfil our promise that there will be no Palestinian state, this place belongs to us."
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