OCCUPIED AL-QUDs (Dispatches) -- Israel is reportedly considering the annexation of parts of the occupied West Bank in response to recent moves by France and other countries to recognize a Palestinian state, according to multiple Israeli officials. 
The issue was set to be discussed further in prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s security cabinet meeting on Sunday.
The potential extension of Israel’s illegal annexation—effectively annexing territory captured in the 1967 Middle East war—remains vague in its scope and timing. Officials have yet to clarify whether any annexation would target all or only select Israeli settlements, specific areas such as the Jordan Valley, or other parts of the occupied West Bank. Any concrete steps would likely involve a complex legislative process.
Such a move would almost certainly trigger widespread condemnation from Palestinians, who seek the West Bank as part of their future state, as well as from Arab nations and Western countries. The stance of the United States, a key ally of Israel, remains unclear. Requests for comment from the White House and State Department were not immediately answered.
Similarly, Israeli foreign minister Gideon Saar’s office declined to comment on whether discussions about annexation took place during Saar’s recent visit to Washington.  
Netanyahu had previously pledged to annex Israeli settlements and the Jordan Valley, but those plans were shelved in 2020 in favor of the Abraham Accords—agreements to normalize relations with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain brokered by U.S. President Donald Trump.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’s office has not yet commented on the potential annexation. Meanwhile, the U.S. recently barred Abbas from traveling to New York to attend the United Nations General Assembly, where several U.S. allies plan to recognize Palestine as a state.
Israel’s consideration of annexation comes amid mounting international criticism over its atrocities in Gaza and in light of recent commitments by countries including France, Britain, Australia, and Canada to formally recognize Palestinian statehood at the upcoming UN General Assembly summit.
The International Court of Justice ruled in 2024 that Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories, including the West Bank, and its settlement activity are illegal and should end. Israel’s previous annexations of East Al-Quds and the Golan Heights remain unrecognized by the international community.
Members of Netanyahu’s coalition have long advocated for formal annexation of parts of the West Bank, citing biblical and historical claims to the land.