## Israeli Knesset Votes for De Facto Annexation of West Bank Settlements
The Israeli Knesset has passed a resolution urging the government to extend Israeli sovereignty over Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank and the Jordan Valley, a move widely interpreted as the first step toward de facto annexation. The legislation, backed by right-wing and center-right factions including Likud, Religious Zionism, and Yisrael Beiteinu, was overwhelmingly approved by a margin of 71 to 13. The text asserts that the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack, referred to as the “Simchat Torah Massacre” in Israeli discourse, proves the existential threat posed by a potential Palestinian state. While the resolution is described as non-binding, Palestinian experts argue it represents the institutionalization of settler-colonial control, with Israeli ministries—rather than the military—now poised to govern areas like health, planning, and infrastructure in the West Bank. Analysts suggest the move is both a political tactic to secure Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition and a strategic step toward permanent Israeli occupation.
### Legal and Political Implications
The resolution also seeks to replace the internationally recognized term “West Bank” with the biblical designation “Judea and Samaria,” further entrenching a nationalist legal framework. Palestinian analyst Saad Nimr of Birzeit University noted that the vote marks a critical shift, effectively treating settlements as Israeli cities rather than occupied territories. “This is not symbolic at all,” Nimr said, explaining that the move institutionalizes annexation through bureaucratic mechanisms. Meanwhile, Dimitri Diliani of the Fatah Revolutionary Council warned that the vote reflects a broader effort to legitimize Israeli expansion under the guise of legal authority, despite international condemnation. The move has drawn swift backlash from Jordan and the European Union, yet analysts argue that the lack of meaningful sanctions has emboldened Israel to proceed with its occupation.
### Tactical and Strategic Motivations
Experts also see the vote as a tactical maneuver to preserve Netanyahu’s coalition, particularly amid tensions between far-right factions and the mainstream Likud party. The resolution coincides with a larger effort to normalize Israeli control over the West Bank, which has seen over three-quarters of a million illegal settlers reside in the region. While the international community has condemned the expansion, critics argue that the absence of sanctions or accountability mechanisms has allowed Israel to proceed with its occupation. Both Nimr and Diliani called for a united Palestinian front and immediate cessation of security cooperation with Israel, viewing the Oslo Accords as effectively dead. For Diliani, the resolution represents the normalization of apartheid and settler-colonial domination, with a call for grassroots resistance and international mobilization against the Israeli state.
### Global Response and Consequences
The analysts tie this impunity to Israel’s entrenched position within the Western geopolitical orbit. In 2024, bilateral trade between the EU and Israel reached $46 billion, with Germany, France, and the Netherlands among the top exporters of dual-use technologies. Meanwhile, the United States increased both defense cooperation and intelligence-sharing with Israel under the Biden administration, even as it publicly maintained opposition to annexation. “This double standard is embedded in the architecture of global power,” said Diliani. “The situation with Crimea in 2014 triggered sweeping sanctions against Russia. In contrast, the State of Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza and de facto annexation of the West Bank is rewarded with increased arms transfers and diplomatic cover.”
### Call to Action for Palestinians
Both experts believe that the consequences of the Knesset vote extend far beyond diplomatic rhetoric. For Nimr, it should mark a turning point for the Palestinian leadership. “This decision affects all Palestinians,” Nimr said. “The two-state solution is not only behind us—it’s officially dead. The law blows up the Oslo Agreement.”
Signed in the 1990s, the Oslo framework laid the foundation for limited Palestinian self-rule under Israeli oversight—a compromise meant to pave the way toward a two-state solution that now appears conclusively buried. Nimr called on the Palestinian Authority to take immediate, concrete steps, beginning with ending security coordination with Israel—a practice long criticized by Palestinian civil society as collaboration. “If Oslo is dead, then why should we keep our part of it? The Palestinian Authority must immediately stop all security cooperation. That would send a strong message,” he said. Beyond this, Nimr urged national unity. “We need a united front—Fatah, Hamas, all factions—to strategize against this existential threat. For decades, we had two paths: negotiations under Oslo or resistance. Now, the Oslo path has been closed by Israel itself,” he added.
Diliani, too, believes Palestinians must take matters into their own hands. “We are no longer dealing with theoretical annexation,” he said. “This is the normalization of apartheid and settler-colonial domination—with legal mechanisms to enforce it. Palestinians must now focus on building grassroots resistance, mobilizing international civil society, and dismantling the myth of Israeli democracy.”
## Conclusion
The Israeli Knesset’s vote represents not only a legal and political shift but also a broader strategic move toward permanent occupation of the West Bank. While the international community condemns the decision, critics argue that the absence of sanctions and accountability mechanisms has emboldened Israel to proceed. For Palestinian analysts and leaders, the vote signals the end of the two-state solution and necessitates a unified approach to resist and counter Israeli expansion. The resolution underscores the deepening conflict and the urgent need for a comprehensive reevaluation of international legal frameworks to address these ongoing violations of international norms.