Smotrich just revealed plan to annex 82% of occupied West Bank

Illegal settler Bezalel Smotrich, who is also Israel’s far-right Finance Minister and leader of the Religious Zionism Party, is a prominent figure advocating for expanding Israeli settlements and opposing Palestinian statehood.

On Wednesday 3 September, he held a press conference in occupied Jerusalem in which he outlined a highly controversial plan to illegally annex and occupy 82% of the occupied West Bank, which he referred to by the Jewish nationalist name of ‘Judea and Samaria’ in an attempt to historically and religiously legitimize annexation:

This biblical terminology aligns with the settler movement’s narrative that the West Bank is the historic and rightful homeland of the Jewish people, based on text from thousands of years ago.

Plans to annex all of the West Bank except six Palestinian towns

Smotrich’s proposal called for applying Israeli sovereignty over the majority of the West Bank territory, effectively absorbing these lands into Israel. Under this plan, only six densely populated Palestinian urban centres- Ramallah, Nablus, Jenin, Tulkarm, Hebron, and Jericho would remain outside Israeli control, forming isolated enclaves, with the rest of the West Bank- comprising of dozens of towns and villages, annexed by Israel:

He emphasized that he wants to achieve ‘maximum land with minimum Palestinian population’, and ‘remove, once and for all, a Palestinian state from the agenda’, calling the proposed annexation a ‘preventative step against a diplomatic offensive’ planned by the international community.

He urged Netanyahu, the war criminal wanted by the International Criminal Court, to ‘make a historic decision’ and apply Israeli sovereignty over these areas, saying the occupation would continue working until all Israel becomes ‘a Jewish democratic country’, and arguing annexation would make Israel secure.

Consequences of Smotrich and his plan for the Palestinian Authority

According to the plan, the Palestinian Authority (PA) – which serves as the internationally recognised governing body in parts of the West Bank, under the 1993 Oslo Accords, would be gradually dismantled. Smotrich warned the PA it would only manage the 18 percent of what remains of the West Bank territories ‘until an alternative is found to replace it with another governance system’, and threatened to ‘crush the Palestinian Authority, if it dares to raise its head, just as we did with Hamas’.

The plan to annex such a large portion of the West Bank has been praised by Israeli right-wing and settler communities as a much-needed reaffirmation of Israel’s territorial claims.

The Yesha Council, an umbrella group for West Bank settlements, publicly supports Smotrich’s vision, echoing his opinions about removing ‘once and for all’ the idea of a Palestinian state and preventing the establishment of what they call a ‘terrorist state’ in the region. But it has also drawn condemnation from Palestinians, and the international community, with the United Arab Emirates, which normalised relations with Israel in 2020, warning annexation would be a ‘red line’.

Israel has controlled the West Bank since the 1967 Six-Day War. The territory is home to approximately three million Palestinians and over 500,000 Israeli settlers. Traditionally, the international community has supported a two-state solution, but successive Israeli governments, particularly right-wing coalitions, have increasingly challenged the feasibility of a Palestinian state.

‘Security concerns’ for the pariah state

Smotrich highlighted security concerns as a primary justification for annexation, and argued for a more comprehensive Israeli presence and control over the West Bank territory. This is tied to what he described as Israel’s need for maximum land with minimum Arab population, to prevent what he sees as an existential security risk.

His press conference not only sought to deter international recognition of Palestinian statehood and cement the occupation’s control over the West Bank, but has also threatened to provoke heightened tensions both within the region and globally. The international community’s response, regional diplomatic repercussions, and internal Israeli political dynamics will determine the plan’s ultimate viability and its impact on the future of the Palestinian people.

In August, Smotrich announced approval for more than 3400 new homes in the controversial E1 area of the occupied West Bank. E1, located between East Jerusalem and the large Israeli settlement of Ma’ale Adumim, is significant because annexing it would create a contiguous Israeli corridor connecting Jerusalem with Ma’ale Adumim.

This would physically separate northern West Bank Palestinian cities like Ramallah from southern cities such as Bethlehem and Hebron, effectively bisecting the West Bank and making a future Palestinian state impossible.

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