File Photo: A general view of the Israeli Knesset (parliament) during a meeting, in Jerusalem. AFP
The Israeli Knesset draft resolution supports the imposition of so-called "Israeli sovereignty" over the occupied West Bank. This move would effectively begin the annexation process and constitutes a blatant challenge to international law and UN resolutions.
According to Israel's Channel 12, the proposal was introduced by members of the ruling coalition before the Knesset's recess. It has garnered open support from senior ministers, including Energy Minister Eli Cohen, who declared, "The time has come for sovereignty over the West Bank."
This move mirrors the escalating field operations and coincides with a conference held Monday at the Knesset in West Jerusalem. The conference was attended by several right-wing ministers and lawmakers, particularly from the ruling Likud party, as well as former US ambassador to Israel David Friedman.
The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates strongly condemned the move.
In a statement on Wednesday, the ministry stressed that these 'colonial' measures reinforce a system of apartheid in the occupied Palestinian Territory and reflect blatant disregard for United Nations resolutions and the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), WAFA news agency reported.
On 19 July 2024, the International Court of Justice affirmed what it called "Israel's unlawful presence in the occupied Palestinian territory."
The statement further warned that such actions deliberately undermine the prospects of implementing the two-state solution, especially following the Knesset's decision to reject a Palestinian state, as well as constituting a clear call to escalate the cycle of wars and violence.
The ministry also warned that the occupation continues to expand colonial settlements and deepen annexation daily.
It called on states and the international community to take these developments seriously, to strongly condemn them, and to take all necessary measures to stop them immediately, especially as the date for hosting the UN conference on the two-state solution approaches.
Motions for the agenda have no practical implications and will not impact the legal status of the West Bank, The Times of Israel reported.
Last year, the Knesset approved a similar motion for the agenda opposing a Palestinian state that passed 68-9.
Israel occupied the West Bank, along with Jerusalem and the Gaza Stri,p in 1967.
Since the start of Israel's genocidal war on the Gaza Strip in October 2023, the Israeli occupation forces have conducted near-daily raids and expanded their military operations in the occupied West Bank.
Demolitions and expansion of colonial settlements also continued. The Israeli occupation authorities demolished or seized 884 buildings, most of them homes, displacing nearly tens of thousands of Palestinians.
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