Israeli parliament approves symbolic motion on West Bank annexation

Knesset lawmakers ballot 71-13 successful favour of annexation, raising questions astir the aboriginal of a Palestinian state.

Israel’s parliament has approved a symbolic measurement calling for the annexation of the occupied West Bank.

Knesset lawmakers voted 71-13 successful favour of the question connected Wednesday, a non-binding ballot which calls for “applying Israeli sovereignty to Judea, Samaria and the Jordan Valley” – the Israeli presumption for the area.

It said that annexing the West Bank “will fortify the authorities of Israel, its information and forestall immoderate questioning of the cardinal close of the Jewish radical to bid and information successful their homeland”.

The motion, precocious by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s conjugation is declarative and has nary nonstop ineligible implications, though it could spot the contented of annexation connected the docket of aboriginal debates successful the parliament.

The thought was initially brought guardant past twelvemonth by Israel’s far-right concern minister, Bezalel Smotrich, who himself lives successful an amerciable Israeli colony and holds a presumption wrong Israel’s Ministry of Defence, wherever helium oversees the medication of the West Bank and its settlements.

The West Bank, on with the Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem, has been nether Israeli concern since 1967. Since then, Israeli settlements person expanded, contempt being amerciable nether planetary instrumentality and, successful the lawsuit of colony outposts, Israeli law.

Palestinian leaders privation each 3 territories for a aboriginal state. Some 3 cardinal Palestinians and much than 500,000 Israeli settlers presently reside successful the West Bank.

Annexation of the West Bank could marque it intolerable to make a viable Palestinian state, which is seen internationally arsenic the astir realistic mode to resoluteness the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Last year, the Israeli parliament approved a akin symbolic question declaring absorption to the constitution of a Palestinian state.

Hussein al-Sheikh, lawman to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, said the question was “a nonstop battle connected the rights of the Palestinian people”, which “undermines the prospects for peace, stableness and the two-state solution”.

“These unilateral Israeli actions blatantly interruption planetary instrumentality and the ongoing planetary statement regarding the presumption of the Palestinian territories, including the West Bank,” helium wrote successful a station connected X.

The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates said successful a connection that it powerfully rejects immoderate question for annexation.

The ministry stressed that the “colonial measures” reenforce a strategy of apartheid successful the West Bank and bespeak a “blatant disregard” for galore United Nations resolutions and the advisory sentiment of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which was issued successful July 2024.

The statement, carried by the authoritative Palestinian Wafa quality agency, besides warned that specified actions deliberately undermine the prospects of implementing a two-state solution.

The ministry added that portion colony enlargement continues, de facto annexation is already occurring connected a regular basis.

Following Israel’s deadly warfare connected Gaza, Israeli forces person intensified attacks connected Palestinian towns and villages successful the occupied West Bank, displacing thousands of Palestinians and sidesplitting hundreds. Settlers, often backed by Israeli soldiers, person besides escalated assaults connected Palestinians, their land, and property.

Source:

Al Jazeera and quality agencies