Israel weighs West Bank annexation in retaliation for Palestine recognition

The Israeli government is considering annexing parts of the occupied West Bank in retaliation for the imminent recognition of Palestine by several Western countries at the UN General Assembly in late September. Israel’s security cabinet briefly discussed potential annexation on Sunday during a six-hour session that focused mainly on plans for a major offensive in Gaza City. At a meeting in Washington last week, Foreign Minister Gideon Saar also updated US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on the government’s intentions.

Israel’s top security officials are resisting annexation efforts. Security sources told Al-Monitor that Mossad chief David Barnea has warned the government that, after two years of war that have devastated Gaza, annexation would further erode Israel’s international standing. Other senior officials cautioned the move could spark widespread unrest across the Middle East, including violent protests in Arab states that could destabilise regimes friendly to Israel.

Annexing any part of the occupied West Bank by applying Israeli sovereignty would breach multiple UN Security Council resolutions and provoke an enormous diplomatic backlash. Israeli settlements in the West Bank are considered illegal under international law. The United Nations reinforced that designation in 2016 with Security Council Resolution 2334, which declared that Jewish settlements in occupied territory are a “flagrant violation” of international law and have “no legal validity”.