THE Israeli parliament approved in a narrow vote on Wednesday a bill that would extend Israeli domestic law to the occupied West Bank.
The move is widely regarded as a step towards annexation, timed to coincide with the visit of US Vice-President JD Vance to East Jerusalem.
The legislation, introduced by opposition members passed by 25 votes to 24.
Although some ministers within Netanyahu’s governing coalition supported the annexation effort, his party, Likud, did not formally back the bill.
The bill must now pass three further readings before it becomes law. At this stage it signals a growing pressure within the cabinet to formalise Israeli sovereignty over the occupied Palestinian territory.
The approval ignited fierce criticism.
Jordan condemned the move as a ‘blatant violation of international law’, saying it undermines the two-state solution and the Palestinians’ ‘inalienable right to self-determination’.
Jordan’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Fouad Al Majali, reiterated the kingdom’s ‘absolute rejection and strong condemnation of any Israeli attempts to impose sovereignty over the occupied West Bank’.
He added that all Israeli measures in the West Bank and ‘violations of Islamic and Christian holy sites in occupied East Jerusalem’ are ‘illegitimate and illegal’.
Last month, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) warned that the annexation of the West Bank would cross a ‘red line’ for the Persian Gulf state.
The United Nations has repeatedly declared that Israeli settlements in the West Bank and the occupation itself are illegal under international law.
The passage of the bill follows formal recognition of a Palestinian state by Britain, Canada and Australia.
Meanwhile, hawkish ministers in Netanyahu’s government have stepped up efforts to annex parts of the West Bank in response to the Western recognition of Palestine.
In reaction, the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas issued a statement condemning the vote, saying it reflects the ‘ugly face of the Tel Aviv regime’s colonisation of Palestinian land’.
Hamas held Israel ‘fully responsible’ for the consequences of the annexation bills, and called on the UN, the Arab League and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation to denounce the legislation, act to restrain the occupation’s policies, and hold Israel accountable for its crimes against the Palestinian people.
Hamas stated: ‘We affirm that the occupation’s frantic attempts to annex the lands of the West Bank are null, void, and illegitimate.
‘They will not change the fact that the West Bank is Palestinian land by virtue of history, international law, and the advisory opinion issued by the International Court of Justice in 2024.’
In July 2024 the ICJ issued an advisory opinion ruling that Israel’s continued presence in the occupied Palestinian territory is illegal and calling on Israel to end it immediately.
