Israel’s Netanyahu: West Bank annexation vote is political provocation
Shafaq News – Middle East
A Knesset vote on West Bank takeover was a political maneuver by the opposition to stir tensions during US Vice President JD Vance’s visit, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netayahu’s office said on Thursday.
According to a post on X by Netanyahu, the two annexation bills were introduced without backing from the ruling Likud party or its religious coalition partners, “except for one disgruntled Likud member who was recently dismissed from a committee chairmanship.”
The Prime Minister’s Office emphasized that without Likud support, the proposed annexation measures “are unlikely to go anywhere,” downplaying their legislative or political significance.
Prime Minister's Office:The Knesset vote on annexation was a deliberate political provocation by the opposition to sow discord during Vice President JD Vance’s visit to Israel.The two bills were sponsored by opposition members of the Knesset. The Likud party and the…
— Benjamin Netanyahu - בנימין נתניהו (@netanyahu) October 23, 2025
US President Donald Trump warned on Thursday that Israel would lose all US support if it had proceeded with annexing the West Bank.
Earlier, Trump affirmed in an interview with Time magazine that the seizure of the West Bank was never going to happen, as he “gave his word to Arab countries.”
Annexation refers to the formal extension of Israeli sovereignty over parts of the West Bank, a move widely rejected by the United Nations and most world powers as a violation of international law and a threat to the Two-State Solution. Right-wing factions within Israel have long pushed for taking over, citing historical and security claims, while opponents warn it would entrench permanent occupation and fuel regional instability.
The West Bank, a territory captured by Israel from Jordan during the 1967 Six-Day War, remains central to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The vast majority of the international community regards it as occupied Palestinian territory, where Israel is the occupying power under international law. Since 1967, Israel has built hundreds of settlements across the area—considered illegal under the Fourth Geneva Convention—which now house more than half a million Israelis.
