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Israeli lawmakers on Wednesday voted to advance two bills proposing the annexation of the occupied West Bank, a move long advocated by far-right ministers in recent months.
The vote coincided with a visit to Israel by US Vice President JD Vance, who aimed to reinforce a Gaza ceasefire brokered by former President Donald Trump.
Trump has repeatedly stated he would not support West Bank annexation. “I will not allow Israel to annex the West Bank,” he told reporters at the White House in September, adding, “It’s not going to happen.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly instructed MPs from his Likud party to abstain from the vote.
Likud described the parliamentary proceedings as “another provocation by the opposition aimed at damaging our relations with the United States,” emphasising that “true sovereignty will be achieved not through a showy law for the record, but through proper work on the ground.”
During a preliminary reading, lawmakers voted to bring the two bills forward for further discussion.
The first, passed by 32 MPs to nine, proposed annexing Maale Adumim, a settlement of around 40,000 people east of Jerusalem.
The second, which sought to annex the entire West Bank, was narrowly approved with 25 votes in favour and 24 against. The Knesset, Israel’s parliament, has 120 members.
Far-right ministers, including Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, have openly advocated for annexation, using the biblical terms “Judea and Samaria” to describe the territory.
Smotrich posted on X: “The time has come to impose full sovereignty over all of Judea and Samaria — the inheritance of our ancestors — and to promote peace agreements in exchange for peace with our neighbours with strength.”
Israel’s settlements in the West Bank are considered illegal under international law. In August, the government approved a major settlement expansion between Maale Adumim and Jerusalem, prompting international concern that such moves threaten the viability of a future Palestinian state.
At a September signing ceremony, Netanyahu reiterated his opposition to Palestinian statehood, declaring, “We are going to fulfil our promise that there will be no Palestinian state; this place belongs to us.”
Excluding annexed East Jerusalem, the West Bank is home to roughly three million Palestinians and more than 500,000 Israeli settlers. Violence in the area has surged since the outbreak of conflict in Gaza in October 2023.
