Finance minister of Israel warns of annexation of West Bank area
In a contentious move, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has threatened to annex parts of the West Bank if a Palestinian state is recognised next month. This announcement comes amidst plans to build around 3,400 housing units in the E1 area, between East Jerusalem and the settlement of Maale Adumim.
This decision has sparked widespread criticism from the international community. The UN Secretary-General has described the E1 settlement project as an "existential threat" to the two-state solution, as it would sever territorial continuity between northern and southern Palestinian cities, further undermining Palestinian statehood prospects.
Several countries and international bodies, including Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the League of Arab States, and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, affirm that Israel's sovereignty declaration has no legal effect. They call on the international community to act to halt Israel's illegal policies and settlement expansion.
The UN General Assembly’s resolution from September 2024 requires Israel to end its occupation within 12 months. France and EU members face calls to respect international law by banning trade and commercial relations with Israeli settlements and halting military equipment transfers to Israel to prevent further crimes.
Human rights organizations highlight increasing violence and settler attacks in the West Bank amid these settlement expansions. Israeli government policies under far-right ministers are seen as intent on consolidating annexation through settlement expansion and military operations that displace Palestinians.
UN Human Rights and other UN agencies label the E1 settlement approval an unlawful step consolidating annexation of occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem, worsening humanitarian and political crises.
Arab countries, such as Qatar, have criticised Israel's occupation policy as aiming solely at the forced expulsion of the Palestinian population. Jordan and Egypt have warned that Israel's settlement policy hinders peace and stability in the region.
The goal is to advance a two-state solution, meaning Israel and an independent Palestinian state coexist peacefully. Almost 150 of the 193 UN member states have already recognised a Palestinian state. Several countries, including France, Canada, and Australia, plan to recognise a Palestinian state next month.
However, Smotrich has stated at a press conference that if a Palestinian state is recognised in September, Israel will assert full sovereignty in all areas of Judea and Samaria (the West Bank). This threat has been met with further condemnation from the international community.
Peace Now, a peace organization, has stated that the E1 plan is fatal for the future of Israel and any chance of a peaceful two-state solution. The construction in the E1 area would significantly hinder, if not make impossible, a contiguous territory for a future Palestinian state.
Ghazi Hamad, a senior Hamas official, praised the expected recognition as "the fruits of October 7" in a TV interview last month, referring to a massacre in the Israeli border area on that date.
The international community broadly regards Israel's annexation plans and new settlements in the West Bank—especially in the E1 area—as illegal, a violation of international law, and a severe obstacle to peace and Palestinian statehood. Various states, regional organisations, the UN, and human rights groups call for immediate cessation of these policies and measures to uphold Palestinian rights and the two-state solution.
As the international community broadly views Israel's annexation plans and new settlements, particularly in the E1 area, as illegal and a violation of policy-and-legislation, they are calling for an immediate cessation to uphold Palestinian rights and protect the prospects of a two-state solution. The ongoing disputes and politics surrounding war-and-conflicts, such as the Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich's threat to annex parts of the West Bank, have led to widespread criticism and further general-news coverage.
