Finance minister of Israel issues West Bank annexation threat
In recent developments, Israel's plans to annex parts of the West Bank, including the contentious E1 area, have sparked widespread international condemnation and concerns about the implications for peace and the two-state solution.
According to international law, the settlements in the West Bank, including the E1 area, are considered illegal. These areas, which the Palestinians claim for their own state with East Jerusalem as the capital, have been a point of contention for decades.
The United Nations Secretary-General has condemned the E1 plan as an "existential threat to the two-State solution." The UN Human Rights office described the approval of the E1 settlement as an unlawful step to consolidate annexation of the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
The construction of settlements in sensitive areas of the West Bank is a controversial issue. In 2025 alone, over 40,000 Palestinians have been displaced amid escalating settlement expansion, settler violence, and land seizures, actions characterized as illegal under international law.
Israel's government, however, has defended the annexation moves, with Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich threatening to annex the West Bank if a Palestinian state is recognized next month. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had suspended annexation plans in the West Bank in 2020 in exchange for an approach with the United Arab Emirates.
The international community, particularly several Western governments, has responded critically to Israel's annexation plans. For instance, Britain announced recognition of a Palestinian state, a move supported by France and described as breaking the cycle of violence, though Israel rejected the British position, seeing it as rewarding terrorism.
The United States and other international bodies have expressed concern that settlement expansion fuels tensions and violence in the West Bank and threatens regional stability. Arab countries, including Qatar, Jordan, and Egypt, have also voiced their concern, warning that Israel's settlement policy was preventing peace and stability in the region.
Israeli far-right leaders promote the settlement expansion as essential for security and national unity. However, peace organizations like Peace Now strongly criticize these moves, stating they are deadly for the future of Israel and any chance of a peaceful two-state solution.
The construction of around 3,400 housing units for Israeli settlers in the E1 area, a sensitive point in the Israel-Palestinian conflict, would effectively divide the West Bank into northern and southern parts, making a contiguous territory for a future Palestinian state difficult, if not impossible.
The international reactions demonstrate significant diplomatic tensions and highlight continuing concerns that annexation and settlement activity in the West Bank undermine peace efforts and escalate conflict risks. The recognition of a Palestinian state by several countries, including France, Canada, and Australia, next month, is expected to further intensify these tensions.
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