Prime Minister Netanyahu hinted at the expansion of settlement in the territory and resolved that a Palestinian state ‘will not happen’
September 22, 2025 09:10
Several Israeli ministers have publicly called for Israel to annex parts of the West Bank in retaliation to the UK and others confirming their recognition of a Palestinian state.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer announced yesterday that his government would take the historic step, in a move later echoed by the leaders of Australia, Canada and Portugal. France, Malta and several others are expected to follow suit later today, though Germany and Italy have ruled out doing so.
Responding to the news, Israel’s far-right National Security Minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, said that he and his Otzma Yehudit party would propose full annexation of the West Bank as a countermeasure.
"The recognition by the UK, Canada, and Australia of a ‘Palestinian’ state as a prize for the murderous [Hamas] terrorists, requires immediate countermeasures,” he wrote.
Using the biblical term for the territory, Ben-Gvir called for the “immediate application of sovereignty in Judea and Samaria, and the complete dismantling of the ‘Palestinian’ Authority,” and confirmed he was drawing up plans “to submit a proposal for the application of sovereignty at the upcoming cabinet meeting”.
This was backed by Transport Minister Miri Regev, of Prime Minister Netanyahu’s Likud party, who tweeted: “Sovereignty now! The land of Israel is ours, now and forever.”
Even Economy Minister Nir Barkat, generally regarded as a more moderate voice in Likud, said that Israel’s response to recognition should include “the application of sovereignty over Judea and Samaria”.
Netanyahu himself did not reference annexation in his response to Starmer’s announcement, but emphasised that his government had “doubled Jewish settlement in Judea and Samaria,” adding: “We will continue on this course.”
“It will not happen. A Palestinian state will not be established west of the Jordan,” he went on.
However, according to the Times of Israel, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) has been “quietly briefing” Likud ministers and MKs to try and reduce the pressure on the coalition to advance annexation.
Several high-ranking members of the party were reportedly told to avoid calling for “sovereignty now” as “it causes damage”, with the PMO reportedly adding: “The prime minister said he knows when and how to act.”
And similar warnings have also come from abroad, with UK Foreign Secretary urging Israel not to enact any form of annexation following her government’s policy shift.
Cooper told the BBC that she had “made it clear” to her counterparty, Gideon Saar, that such a move should not be considered, but did not elaborate on whether the UK would take political or economic action against Israel if it did so.
Likewise, Israel’s Channel 12 reported that Saudi Arabia had told Jerusalem that there would be “major implications in all fields” if it pushed ahead with annexation.
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