Tehran – In another still troubling move, amid the ongoing Gaza genocide, the Israeli regime’s knesset has overwhelmingly approved the motion for a declaration to annex the occupied West Bank, signaling a new commitment to the colonialist and expansionist agenda.
It is a non-binding brand, with 71 votes and only 13 votes, but the administration’s parliament has blatantly ignored international law and cast its weight behind policies that further entrenched decades of occupation of Palestinian land.
The move, which calls for the application of “Israel sovereignty and Israel’s sovereignty over Samaria,” is a biblical term used to argue historical claims over the West Bank, reflects the ideological driving force of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right coalition.
The move also calls for the annexation of the Jordan Valley on the west bank of the Jordan River, adjacent to Jordan’s Kingdom.
In a statement, Jordanian Foreign Ministry said Amman “condemns Knesset’s vote in the strongest terms against the declaration in favor of Israel’s sovereignty over the occupied West Bank and the Jordan Valley.”
In a social media post, Palestinian authorities vice president Hussein al-Sheikh said the measure “represents not only a direct attack on the rights of the Palestinian people, but also a dangerous escalation that undermines the outlook for solutions in the two states based on peace, stability and negotiation based on regional security and protection.”
This development is more than just a symbol. This is part of a broader settler-colonial pattern that has since 1947 defined Israeli occupation behavior in Palestine. Since 1967, the West Bank has been under illegal occupation.
Hamas also stated, “The vote by the Knesset of Zionist occupation on a resolution to impose sovereignty on the occupied West Bank in preparation for annexation is invalid, unjustified, and does not change the identity of the Palestinian land.”
The Palestinian resistance was called to Palestinians in the West Bank as “escalating all forms of resistance to stop the project of fascist occupation.”
Also, Ahmed Abour Gate, executive director of the League of Arab Nations, denounced the Knesset vote, saying the move is part of a broader plan to impose a new reality on the ground.
He emphasized that these actions are unacceptable under international law. Gheit reaffirmed that the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, is internationally recognized as an occupying territory.
Voting timing adds another layer of gravity. Just as the world witnesses ongoing hunger and heinous war crimes in Gaza, this new push for annexation reveals the elimination of the Israeli regime’s broader strategy, the erasure of the Palestinian national identity.
The actions of the occupation regime in Gaza, marked by the genocide policy, reflect another disturbing warning sign of similar systematic forfeiture, escalated by the formal annexation of the West Bank.
Over three million Palestinians live under military occupation in the West Bank, and the number of illegal Israeli settlers invading their lands is increasing. They are protected by a system that privileges settlers and criminalizes all forms of resistance.
Mergering is more than just a legal manipulation. This is a colonial act aimed at permanently reconstructing the historic Palestinian demographic and political landscape. This represents the formalization of apartheid policies that have long ruled occupied territory.
As international law clearly defines the annexation of occupied territories as illegal, Knesset’s vote further segregates the Israeli regime from the international community, and is already tired of its actions in Gaza.
The iconic bill is also a calm reminder of the political situation within the administration, where far-right and openly fascist rhetoric gained traction. The government minister issued a statement reflecting Nazi ideology, dehumanizing the Palestinians and defending them in full control of all historic Palestinian lands.
Such views are not limited to margins. They are increasingly at the heart of government policymaking.
What unfolds today in both Gaza and the West Bank is not isolated calamities but part of a consistent colonial strategy of settlers rooted in land theft, forced evacuation and changing demographics.
With the strong and risky risk of annexation rhetoric turning into legislation, the world must confront the reality that 21st century colonialism is alive and well. And it unfolds right in front of our eyes in Palestine.