Israel’s new West Bank measures spark annexation fears
Palestinians, several Arab states and Israeli anti-occupation organisations have denounced new measures approved by Israel’s security cabinet for the occupied West Bank, warning they amount to a form of de facto annexation. The steps were announced by far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who said they would make it easier for Jewish settlers to acquire Palestinian land. “We will continue to eliminate the idea of a Palestinian state,” he declared. Under international law, Israeli settlements in the occupied territories are widely considered illegal. The measures, which still require formal approval from Israel’s top military commander in the West Bank, are designed to expand Israeli control over land management, planning, licensing and enforcement across the territory. They were unveiled just days before a scheduled meeting in Washington between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump. According to Israeli officials, […]