Israeli parliament passes West Bank annexation bill

A bill to formally annex the occupied West Bank has passed its first stage in the Israeli parliament. If the bill is passed in full, the Palestinian territory will be annexed by Israel and Israeli sovereignty will be implemented there.However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu himself has opposed the proposal. Al Jazeera reported this information in a report on Thursday (October 23).The media outlet says that the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, has given initial approval to a controversial bill to impose Israeli sovereignty over the occupied West Bank. This is effectively tantamount to annexation of Palestinian territory and a clear violation of international law.The bill was initially passed by the 120-seat Knesset on Tuesday by a vote of 25-24. It will need to be approved in three more stages of voting to become law. Prime Minister Netanyahu and his Likud party opposed the bill, but some coalition and opposition MPs supported it.The bill aims to “apply the sovereignty of the State of Israel to the territories of Judea and Samaria (the West Bank),” the Knesset said in a statement. It will now be sent to the parliament’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee for further discussion.The vote comes a month after US President Donald Trump announced that Israel would not be allowed to annex the West Bank. US Vice President JD Vance is also visiting Israel at the same time to maintain the ceasefire in Gaza.Netanyahu’s Likud party, meanwhile, called the vote “provocation by the opposition” in a statement, saying it could damage Israel’s relations with the US. The statement added that “real sovereignty can be achieved not by pretending to show off the law, but through real action.”Essentially, annexing the West Bank to Israel would effectively end the possibility of a two-state solution for Palestine and Israel.On the other hand, the Palestinian Foreign Ministry, Hamas, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Jordan have reacted strongly to the vote. The Palestinian Foreign Ministry said in a statement, “We strongly reject the Knesset’s attempt to annex Palestinian lands. The West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza are single geographical units over which Israel has no sovereign rights.”Hamas said in a statement, “These bills clearly demonstrate the colonialist nature of the occupying power. This attempt to annex the West Bank is illegal and unacceptable.” Qatar described it as “a clear violation of the historical rights of the Palestinians and a challenge to international law.”The Saudi Foreign Ministry said, “Riyadh strongly rejects all settlement and expansionist activities by the Israeli occupation forces.” Jordan said, “This move is a clear violation of international law, an obstacle to the two-state solution and an interference with the fundamental right of the Palestinian people to self-determination and the establishment of an independent state.”More than 700,000 Israelis currently live in illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem. These settlements are declared illegal under international law.