Israel Approves Dangerous Plan to Annex West Bank Settlements, Sparking Outrage
Far-right minister's proposal to legalize 13 illegal settlements seen as prelude to full annexation, threatening two-state solution.
Watan-In a dangerous move that threatens to ignite the situation on the ground, the Israeli occupation’s security cabinet has approved a plan to divide the West Bank and annex 13 illegal settlements, according to a proposal put forward by far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.
The move, described as an official prelude to the full annexation of the West Bank, has sparked widespread Palestinian outrage and is considered the most dangerous development in the settlement file in years.
The Israeli decision comes as the occupation continues its brutal aggression against Palestinian territories in both the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, amid international silence and clear American complicity, according to Palestinian officials. Observers fear that this plan could mark the beginning of the end for the two-state solution, as it entrenches a reality of annexation and apartheid, and grants legitimacy to illegal settlement outposts established over the past two decades.
The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs warned that this step is merely a continuation of plans for forced displacement and the theft of Palestinian land. For its part, the Hamas movement affirmed that the people of the West Bank will confront this decision by all available means and will not allow the occupation to impose new facts on the ground.
UN Slams Israeli Settlement Plan as Illegal
The United Nations, for its part, reiterated that all forms of settlement in the occupied territories are illegal and constitute a blatant violation of international law and UN Security Council resolutions, foremost among them Resolution 2334.
On the other hand, observers believe that the occupation is racing against time to implement the annexation plan in stages, through “semi-political” steps that precede an official declaration—which may come sooner than many expect, especially in the absence of any real pressure from major capitals.
In light of this, calls are growing for urgent popular, Arab, and international action to stop the plan and dismantle the settlement system, which has become a political and security pressure card used against the Palestinian people.
