🤔 What happened? On Wednesday, Israel's parliament narrowly voted 25-24 to advance a bill that would extend Israeli law and administration to all settlements in the occupied West Bank (known by Israel as Judea and Samaria).
🌍 The Palestinian Foreign Ministry quickly fired back, condemning the vote and calling Israel's attempts to impose 'new realities on the ground' null and void. They stressed that the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip are an integral geographical unit of the State of Palestine under the sovereignty of the Palestinian people and the Palestine Liberation Organization.
⚖️ Palestinian leaders vowed to fight the annexation bid through political, diplomatic and legal channels. They also urged countries and international bodies to reject what they called systematic policies of land seizure and annexation.
🏛️ The bill, introduced by right-wing lawmaker Avi Maoz of the one-man Noam party, now moves to the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee. Reports say some members of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition broke ranks to support the bill, highlighting deep divisions over annexation policy.
🔮 What's next? The coming debates in the committee will be a key test for Israel's government, while the international community watches closely. Will the annexation bid become reality, or will diplomatic pressure halt it? Stay tuned for updates!
Reference(s):
Palestine denounces Israeli parliament's annexation bid for West Bank
cgtn.com
