Two of Israel‘s highest-ranking officials are urging the government to annex the West Bank and impose “Israeli sovereignty” over its Palestinian population.
Justice Minister Yariv Levin and Defense Minister Israel Katz — close political allies of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — issued the joint statement to Israeli media on Thursday, emphasizing that the current political climate presents an “opportunity” to take control of the Palestinian territory.
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The statement was framed as a reply to a Channel 14 report that the two ministers were not preparing for such an annexation, which they called “false.”
“Ministers Katz and Levin have been working for many years to implement Israeli sovereignty in Judea and Samaria. At this very moment, there is a moment of opportunity that must not be missed.”
“This was expressed, among other things, in the work done by Minister Levin during President Trump’s first term, in which all the necessary things were prepared for the important move – from a proposal for resolutions to precise maps, and Defense Minister Katz led a series of unprecedented decisions to strengthen settlement and pave the way for Israeli sovereignty in Judea and Samaria,” the statement continued.
Judea and Samaria is the Israeli term for the entirety of the West Bank, the larger enclave of the Palestinian territories on the Western bank of the Jordan River, and home to approximately 3 million ethnic Palestinians.
The joint statement is an escalation in rhetoric from the Israeli government at a time when widespread starvation in the Gaza Strip is already pushing Western allies to recognize Palestinian sovereignty.
Annexation of the West Bank is a long-standing red line for many of Israel’s foreign supporters, as such an action would permanently quash any hope for a two-state solution.
Tensions are high in the region as Israeli government officials openly call for more Jewish settlers to set up compounds in the West Bank, often forcibly removing Palestinian communities from the land in the process.
Approximately 500,000 Israelis have thus far pushed into the West Bank and set up illegal housing, usually guarded by private police and strict security. Clashes between settlers and natives frequently devolve into violence.
This settler-expansion has been widely condemned as a violation of international law, but high-ranking Israeli officials such as Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich have openly lauded efforts to drive Palestinians out of the region.
Those two ministers have had assets frozen, travel restricted, and other sanctions imposed in countries such as Canada, Australia, the Netherlands, New Zealand, and Norway due to “repeated incitement of violence against Palestinian civilians.”
On Tuesday, Smotrich went even further — calling his goal of establishing new Israeli settlements in the war-ravaged Gaza Strip “closer than ever.”
The Thursday statement by Levin and Katz shows a solidifying movement building in Netanyahu’s struggling coalition for West Bank annexation, though the two ministers failed to explain why the present moment presents a unique opportunity for the plan.
The sense of urgency could be spurred by announcements from the United Kingdom, France, Canada, Portugal, and San Marino that their governments intend to officially recognize Palestinian sovereignty at the September meeting of the United Nations. Some of these nations say they are willing to walk back the decision if conditions such as a ceasefire are met.
In addition to serving as the minister of justice, Levin was appointed by the government on Tuesday to temporarily serve as interior minister, labor minister, and religious affairs minister.
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His ascension replaced multiple ultra-orthodox members of the Shas party who recently left their ministerial roles in protest of the mandatory military service recently imposed on ultra-orthodox believers. Two other vacated posts were given to Tourism Minister Haim Katz.
Levin also holds the office of deputy prime minister, a largely honorary position.