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Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has ignited a fresh wave of international controversy by publicly advocating for the “encouraged migration” of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank.
Speaking at a Religious Zionism Party event late Tuesday, Smotrich declared his intention to formally nullify the 1990s Oslo Accords and eliminate any prospect of a Palestinian state.
He argued that asserting full Israeli sovereignty while facilitating the departure of the Palestinian population is the only viable long-term solution for the region.
This rhetoric is being backed by concrete legislative actions aimed at tightening Israeli control over the West Bank.
The government has recently approved measures to register vast tracts of land as “state property,” a move that simplifies the direct purchase of territory by Jewish Israelis and bypasses the administrative structures of the Palestinian Authority.
Critics and human rights organisations have warned that these administrative shifts represent a “de facto annexation” of land that was intended to form the heart of a future Palestinian state.
The international response has been swift and severe, with the United Nations missions of 85 countries issuing a joint statement of condemnation on Tuesday.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres described the new land registration policies as “destabilising” and “unlawful,” calling on the Israeli government to reverse its course immediately.
Despite this global pressure, the current administration has continued to fast-track settlement growth, approving a record 52 new settlements in 2025 alone and pushing for a major expansion that would extend Jerusalem’s borders further into occupied territory.
As it stands, more than 500,000 Israelis live in West Bank settlements that are considered illegal under international law, residing alongside approximately three million Palestinians.
While the religious right in Israel increasingly views the territory as ancestral land destined for permanent sovereignty, the global community remains steadfast in its opposition to any form of annexation.
This deepening divide suggests a volatile future for the region as the Israeli government moves to dismantle the legal frameworks that have governed the occupation for over three decades.
