RAMALLAH (Dispatches) -- Israeli foreign minister Gideon Saar recently met with U.S. Senator Marco Rubio to discuss plans for a complete annexation of the occupied West Bank, according to Israeli news outlet Walla.
Saar indicated that the Israeli regime is quietly preparing to “apply sovereignty” over the Palestinian territory in the coming months, reflecting a broader consensus among Israel’s political elite to formalize appropriation of the West Bank.
While disagreements remain within the regime on whether annexation should be framed as an ideological assertion or a reaction to increasing international recognition of Palestinian statehood—such as upcoming votes at the UN General Assembly by France and Britain—the trajectory towards annexation appears clear. 
In July, the Israeli parliament passed a non-binding motion endorsing West Bank annexation, signaling a looming expansionist move despite its legal and diplomatic implications.
Annexing occupied territory violates international law. Israel’s preferred term, “applying sovereignty,” changes little on the ground or in the eyes of the international community. 
Since the 1967 Middle East war, Israel has unilaterally annexed East Al-Quds and the Golan Heights, neither of which has been recognized globally. 
The West Bank remains divided under the 1995 Oslo Accords into Areas A, B, and C, with the Palestinian Authority maintaining limited control in A and B, while Israel dominates Area C, which covers over 60% of the territory. 
International law classifies all Areas A, B, and C as Palestinian land, rendering all Israeli settlements illegal. Yet, Israel continues an aggressive settlement expansion backed by tacit U.S. approval. 
In August, U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee declared that large-scale settlement development in the West Bank, including the controversial E1 area near Al-Quds is not a violation of international law and that the U.S. would not oppose it. 
The E1 project aims to isolate East Jerusalem from the West Bank, severing Palestinian communities and forcing Palestinians into lengthy, apartheid-like detours.
Extremist Israeli finance minister Bezalel Smotrich openly acknowledged that projects like E1 “bury the idea of a Palestinian state,” with critics labeling Israel’s policies as apartheid and colonialist in nature. The move threatens to uproot numerous Palestinian communities.
Meanwhile, Israeli forces and settler groups have escalated violent actions, uprooting Palestinian trees, demolishing homes, and destroying agricultural infrastructure under military protection. Settler violence has surged since late 2023, exacerbating Palestinian displacement and deepening Israel’s entrenchment in occupied territory.
Israel’s expansionist policies clearly reflect a colonialist agenda aimed at erasing Palestinian presence and sovereignty in the West Bank, further entrenching occupation and undermining any prospects for peace or a Palestinian state.