Israel plans to annex the West Bank with US help; which way will Trump go

Last Updated on November 15, 2024 5:45 am

Israel plans to annex the occupied West Bank within the next year. The country’s Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has already announced that the West Bank will be annexed to Israeli territory.

He has also instructed relevant officials to prepare for the inauguration of the newly elected US President Donald Trump early next year.

Al Jazeera reported on Tuesday that Smotrich said in a statement that they hope that the new administration in Washington will recognize the ‘sovereignty’ of the occupied West Bank. After that, concerns have started among experts.

Which way will Trump go? Speculation is going on about this. However, experts do not see a guarantee that Trump’s return will fulfill all of Israel’s wishes.

In addition to his duties as Finance Minister, Bezalel Smotrich also holds an important position in the Israeli Defense Ministry. He is also responsible for overseeing the administration of the occupied West Bank and its settlements.

In a post on social media, Smotrich said, “2025 will be the year of sovereignty in Judea and Samaria (Judea and Samaria is the entire West Bank that Israel refers to).

Meanwhile, ultra-Orthodox Jewish leader Bezalel Smotrich congratulated Donald Trump on his victory over Kamala Harris. At a meeting in the Israeli parliament Knesset on Monday, he ordered the Defense Ministry’s Settlement Directorate and Civil Administration to lay the groundwork for annexing the West Bank to Israel.

He said, “I am ordering the necessary infrastructure to be prepared to implement Israeli sovereignty in Judea and Samaria.

Hoping for Trump’s support for Israel’s move, the extremist leader added, “There is no doubt that President Trump, who has shown courage and determination in his decisions during his first term, will support the State of Israel in this move.”

Smotrich reminded that there is an agreement within Israel’s ruling coalition to oppose annexation of the West Bank and the establishment of a Palestinian state.

He said, “The only way to eliminate the danger is to apply Israeli sovereignty over the settlements in Judea and Samaria.” Palestine reacted strongly to Israel’s statement. President Mahmoud Abbas’s spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeneh said that Smotrich’s statement is a clear violation of international law.

Incidentally, the State of Israel was established in 1948 by occupying Palestinian territory. Since then, the Zionist state has occupied 95 percent of Palestine in the past seven decades. Currently, Palestine refers to the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. Israel has been attacking Gaza for more than a year.

It does not stop here. Last September, it launched a military offensive in Lebanon. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said that there will be no ceasefire in Lebanon. Israel will launch an operation against Hezbollah with full force.

Recently, Prime Minister Netanyahu dismissed former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. After that, Israel Katz was sworn in as the new Defense Minister. Before that, he was in charge of the country’s Foreign Ministry.

Since the Israeli invasion of the besieged Palestinian territory of Gaza began in October last year, there has been a conflict with the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah. However, in late September this year, the Israeli military intensified its attacks on Lebanon. In the last 24 hours, 17 more deaths have been reported in this Middle Eastern country. However, Hezbollah is also striking back.