Israel weighs West Bank annexations in response to Palestine recognition push

Israel’s government is contemplating annexing West Bank territories, including settlements, access routes, the Jordan Valley, or all of Area C (60% of the region), to counter Western nations’ plans to recognize Palestine at the UN General Assembly.

Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer explicitly told French President Emmanuel Macron’s Middle East adviser, Anne-Claire Legendre, that Israel could annex Area C, while Dermer and Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar warned other European counterparts of annexation if Palestinian statehood recognition proceeds, per two Israeli and European officials. Netanyahu’s ultranationalist coalition and settler lobby are pushing to annex the entire West Bank (Judea and Samaria).

Legal experts assert annexation would breach the UN Charter and Geneva Convention, with the ICC investigating Israeli settlement activity as potential war crimes.

The Israelis say Trump’s approval is critical. In his first term, Trump reportedly blocked Netanyahu’s plan to annex 30% of the West Bank, stating it went “too far,” and later halted a smaller attempt, prioritizing the Abraham Accords. Now, U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee says the administration has no position yet on annexation. European officials warn of EU sanctions, and Arab leaders predict downgraded peace agreements.