Israel cabinet mulls West Bank annexation as France, others plan to recognise Palestine

Israel is reportedly exploring the possibility of annexing parts of the occupied West Bank, potentially in response to France and other countries recognising a Palestinian state, according to report.

The proposal is expected to be discussed further on Sunday during Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s security cabinet meeting, which will also focus on the ongoing Gaza conflict. Reuters quoted to Israeli officials as saying.

The move, if taken, is expected to provoke strong condemnation from Palestinians, who claim the territory for a future state, as well as from Arab nations and Western countries.  

A past pledge by Netanyahu to annex Jewish settlements and the Jordan Valley was scrapped in 2020 in favour of normalising ties with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain in the so-called Abraham Accords brokered by Trump in his first term in office.

The office of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The United States said on Friday it would not allow Abbas to travel to New York for the United Nations gathering of world leaders, where several U.S. allies are set to recognise Palestine as a state.

France, UK, Australia Back Palestinian State

Israel, which is facing mounting international criticism over the war in Gaza, is angered by pledges by France, Britain, Australia and Canada to formally recognize a Palestinian state at a summit during the U.N. General Assembly in September.

The United Nations’ highest court in 2024 said that Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories, including the West Bank, and its settlements there are illegal and should be withdrawn as soon as possible.

Israel argues the territories are not occupied in legal terms because they are on disputed lands, but the United Nations and most of the international community regard them as occupied territory.

Its annexations of East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights decades ago have not won international recognition.

Members of Netanyahu’s ruling coalition have been calling for years for Israel to formally annex parts of the West Bank, territory, to which Israel cites biblical and historical ties.

With inputs from agencies