Israel Plans to Annex 82% of West Bank

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced on Wednesday that Israel intends to annex 82 percent of the occupied West Bank, declaring that the move is essential to prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state.

Speaking at a press conference alongside settler leaders, the far-right Religious Zionism party chief said Israel would extend sovereignty over the majority of the territory, while Palestinians would continue to be administered by the Palestinian Authority.

Smotrich stated that Israel seeks to maintain a clear Jewish majority and preserve what he described as the Jewish identity of the state. He argued that sovereignty must be applied to the maximum amount of land with the fewest number of Arabs.

He also urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to convene the government and take what he called a historic decision to annex all open areas of the West Bank, which he referred to by its biblical names Judea and Samaria.

Smotrich warned that the Palestinian Authority would face the same fate as Hamas if it resisted Israeli control, vowing its destruction if it threatened Israel. He framed annexation as a political tool to guarantee that a Palestinian state will never be established.

The announcement comes as several Western nations, including France, Britain, Australia, Canada and Belgium, consider recognizing a Palestinian state during this month’s United Nations meetings. Analysts suggest that such recognition could accelerate Israel’s annexation push.

Since the outbreak of the Gaza war on 7 October 2023, Israel has escalated its actions in the West Bank, including house demolitions, forced displacement of Palestinians, land confiscations and accelerated settlement expansion.

Annexation of the West Bank would effectively end prospects for an independent Palestinian state under the two-state solution framework long endorsed by the United Nations.