Israeli Parliament Advances West Bank Annexation Bill Despite International Opposition

The Israeli parliament has taken a significant first step toward potentially annexing the West Bank, with preliminary approval of a controversial bill that would apply Israeli law to the occupied territory.

This initial vote, the first of four required for the legislation to become law, occurred during US Vice President JD Vance's visit to Israel and just one month after President Donald Trump explicitly stated he would not permit Israeli annexation of the West Bank.

The bill narrowly passed by a margin of 25-24 out of the 120-member parliament. Notably, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party did not support the legislation, which was introduced by lawmakers outside his governing coalition. In a separate vote, another bill proposing the annexation of the Maale Adumim settlement passed 31-9.

Despite Netanyahu's party withholding support, several members of his coalition government—including those from National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir's Jewish Power party and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich's Religious Zionism faction—voted in favor of the legislation. The bill still faces a lengthy legislative process before potentially becoming law.

Various members of Netanyahu's coalition have long advocated for formal annexation of parts of the West Bank, citing historical and biblical connections to these territories.

Earlier this year, the United Nations' highest court declared Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories, including the West Bank, and its settlements there illegal, recommending withdrawal as soon as possible.

Israel maintains that these territories captured in the 1967 war should not be classified as occupied since they are on disputed lands. However, the United Nations and most of the international community consider them occupied territory.

Netanyahu's government had previously considered annexation as a response to several Western allies recognizing a Palestinian state in September but appeared to abandon this approach following Trump's opposition.

The prime minister himself has been less explicit about annexation since shelving a previous election pledge in 2020 in favor of normalizing relations with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain through the Abraham Accords.

The UAE, the most prominent Arab nation to establish diplomatic ties with Israel under these Trump-brokered agreements, has warned that West Bank annexation represents a red line. Senior Emirati official Anwar Gargash, a diplomatic advisor to the UAE president, stated at the Reuters NEXT Gulf Summit in Abu Dhabi that the Gulf state believed it had successfully prevented annexation.