Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich released a map proposing to annex over 80% of the West Bank. He’s not far off from the rest of the Israeli political establishment — even the “pragmatic” opposition.
The Knesset’s motion supporting the annexation of the West Bank signals Israel’s intention of formalizing what it has already been doing at an accelerated pace since October 7 — establishing total Israeli control over Palestinian land.
Netanyahu’s government is building on a long-standing legal matrix to accelerate Israel’s de facto annexation in the West Bank
The villagers of Taybeh have lived in harmony with the nearby Bedouins for generations. Israeli colonization and the shrinking land available to these communities are now straining social relations, as Israeli settler violence threatens both.
Israeli settlers went on a rampage in the town of Kufr Malek, northeast of Ramallah, killing three Palestinians. The attack is the latest in an escalating wave of settler pogroms against Palestinian communities between the Jordan Valley and Ramallah.
Israel is using the war on Iran to further its colonization and annexation of the West Bank, turning Palestinian communities into caged enclaves.
Israel’s decision last week to create 22 new settlements in the West Bank was reported as somewhat uneventful news in the media. The reality is, however, that it’s the latest in a series of moves to cement Israeli control of the occupied territory.
Israeli settlers are taking over Palestinian land by creating “farming outposts” with the goal of ethnically cleansing Palestinians. This strategy complements the Israeli state’s broader plans for annexing the West Bank.
Israel is expanding its “Iron Wall” offensive in the West Bank as it approves plans to separate the northern West Bank from the south. The plan is an accelerated prelude to Israel’s expected annexation of the West Bank.
Lost in the uproar over Donald Trump’s Gaza comments was another bombshell: the White House will soon announce its position on annexation of the West Bank. Signs indicate it will fully support expanding Israeli control over the occupied territory.