Jerusalem, October 22, 2025 – In a move that has ignited fierce domestic and international backlash, Israel's Knesset, the country's unicameral parliament, approved two preliminary bills on Wednesday aimed at extending Israeli sovereignty over parts of the occupied West Bank. The votes, which passed by razor-thin margins, signal deepening divisions within Israel's right-wing coalition and come at a sensitive moment during a visit by U.S. Vice President JD Vance, whose administration has explicitly opposed such actions.
The first bill, introduced by Avi Maoz, leader of the ultranationalist Noam Party, seeks to apply Israeli law and administration across the entirety of Judea and Samaria – the biblical terms used by Israeli hardliners for the West Bank. According to a Knesset statement, the legislation passed its preliminary reading with 25 lawmakers in favor and 24 against, out of the body's 120 members. Supporters hailed it as a historic step toward "correcting a long-overdue injustice," while critics decried it as a provocative stunt that could derail fragile peace efforts.
Maoz, whose single-seat Noam faction is part of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's governing coalition, framed the bill as essential for Jewish national revival. "The Holy One, blessed be He, gave the people of Israel the Land of Israel," Maoz declared in a statement accompanying the proposal. "Settlement in the Land of Israel is the redemption... In applying sovereignty to Judea and Samaria, we are making a correction that is long overdue." The bill's backers included members from the far-right Otzma Yehudit and Religious Zionism parties, as well as the Hasidic Agudat Yisrael faction of United Torah Judaism. Notably, Likud MK Yuli Edelstein broke ranks with his party to vote in favor, posting on social media: "I just voted in favor of applying sovereignty over Judea and Samaria."
Opposition came primarily from Arab parties and the centrist Democratic Party, with Yesh Atid members, including leader Yair Lapid, attempting – but failing – to muster enough votes to block it. Absenteeism plagued the session: MKs from Netanyahu's Likud, the ultra-Orthodox Shas, and the centrist Kahol Lavan parties stayed away, while Degel HaTorah voted against. Netanyahu's office dismissed the vote as "trolling... aimed at damaging our relations with the US," highlighting the prime minister's behind-the-scenes efforts to delay the bill during Vance's visit.
In a parallel development, a second bill – this one more narrowly tailored – also cleared its preliminary hurdle. Sponsored by Avigdor Lieberman, head of the opposition Yisrael Beiteinu Party, it targets the Ma’ale Adumim settlement bloc, a sprawling complex of over 40,000 Israeli residents east of Jerusalem. The measure passed 32-9, with Lieberman proclaiming it a "road to history" for Israeli control over key strategic areas. Ma’ale Adumim, located in the Judean Desert, has long been a flashpoint due to its position blocking potential Palestinian state contiguity. Lieberman's proposal declares that "the law, jurisdiction, and administration of the State of Israel shall apply to the area of Ma’ale Adumim," drawing support from a broader cross-section of lawmakers, including some coalition members who shunned Maoz's wider-reaching plan.
Both bills now advance to the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee for deliberation before requiring three additional plenary readings to become law – a process that could take months or stall indefinitely amid coalition infighting. This legislative push echoes a non-binding Knesset motion from July 2025, which passed 71-13 calling for West Bank sovereignty, uniting the coalition temporarily but exposing its fragility.
The timing could not be more fraught. Vance, on a two-day trip to bolster a shaky Gaza ceasefire brokered by President Donald Trump, arrived in Israel amid reports of weekend violence that tested the truce's viability. Speaking in southern Israel, Vance expressed "great optimism" about the deal, which includes Hamas disarmament and Israeli withdrawal phases, but warned of "fast, furious and brutal force" if violated. Yet the annexation votes risk torpedoing U.S. efforts. Just last month, Trump vowed to Arab and Muslim leaders at the UN that he "will not allow" Israel to annex the West Bank, citing it as a "red line" that could unravel regional normalization deals like the Abraham Accords. Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud emphasized that Trump "understands very well" the dangers, including threats to broader peace.
Trump's stance marks a shift from earlier expectations among Israel's far-right, who saw his reelection as a green light for expansion. "2025 will be the year of sovereignty," Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich had predicted in January. Instead, U.S. pressure – amplified by allies like France's Emmanuel Macron, who called annexation the "end of the Abraham Accords" – has forced Netanyahu into a balancing act. Vance's itinerary includes meetings with Netanyahu and families of hostages released under the ceasefire, underscoring Washington's focus on Gaza reconstruction via a U.S.-led international oversight board.
For Palestinians, the bills represent an existential threat. Annexation would "effectively end the possibility of implementing a two-state solution," as enshrined in UN resolutions since the 1990s. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas condemned the votes as "a violation of international law," vowing to escalate to the UN Security Council. The West Bank, occupied by Israel since the 1967 Six-Day War, is home to about 3 million Palestinians and 700,000 Israeli settlers in over 150 enclaves. Formal annexation could dismantle the Palestinian Authority, established under the 1993 Oslo Accords, and accelerate land confiscations – already at record highs in 2024, per Israeli group Peace Now.
This escalation unfolds against a grim backdrop of violence. Since Hamas's October 7, 2023, attack on Israel – which killed 1,200 and led to 251 abductions – Israeli forces have killed at least 1,001 Palestinians in the West Bank, including 213 children (one in five victims), 20 women, and seven with disabilities, according to the UN Human Rights Office. Injuries top 10,300, with over 20,000 arrests, many without charge under military orders. The UN attributes most fatalities to "systematic use of lethal force" – live fire, airstrikes, and missiles – in unlawful, disproportionate raids, particularly in Jenin and Tulkarm. Settler attacks, armed and enabled by Israeli policy, have surged sevenfold, with 1,800 incidents since October 2023.
These figures make 2023-2025 the deadliest period on record, surpassing prior peaks and evoking comparisons to apartheid-era tactics, as noted by Human Rights Watch. Palestinian advocates point to systemic issues: over 170,000 Israeli incursions since 1967, home demolitions, and resource exploitation that choke Palestinian self-determination.
Compounding the crisis is the International Court of Justice's (ICJ) landmark July 19, 2024, advisory opinion, which declared Israel's 57-year occupation "unlawful" and tantamount to de facto annexation. The Hague-based court ruled that settlements, demographic alterations in East Jerusalem, and resource plundering violate prohibitions on racial segregation, apartheid, and force-based conquest – peremptory norms (jus cogens) binding all states. It mandated Israel to withdraw, dismantle settlements, pay reparations, and enable displaced Palestinians' return, while obliging the international community to non-recognition and cooperation in enforcement.
The ICJ's 15-judge panel, including voices from diverse nations, emphasized the Occupied Palestinian Territory (Gaza, West Bank, East Jerusalem) as a "single territorial unit," rejecting Israel's "disputed" claim in favor of "occupied" status under the Fourth Geneva Convention. UN experts hailed it as "historic," urging sanctions and severed ties until compliance. Yet Israel rejected the ruling outright, with Netanyahu calling it "a political assault," and has since intensified Gaza operations, per Amnesty International.
Globally, the votes have drawn swift condemnation. The European Union affirmed alignment with the ICJ, with Belgium's foreign minister stating settlements "must cease." Jordan warned of treaty suspension, while the UAE reiterated West Bank annexation as a "red line" for normalization. On social media, reactions ranged from settler celebrations – "Sovereignty now!" – to Palestinian outrage: "This is theft, plain and simple."
As Vance departs, the bills' fate hangs in balance, but their passage underscores Israel's rightward lurch. With Gaza's ceasefire teetering and the ICJ's shadow looming, the path to two states – once a diplomatic cornerstone – appears narrower than ever. For now, the West Bank remains a tinderbox, where legislative ink meets the blood of daily raids.
