Israel's parliament approves bill for West Bank annexation, Rubio warns of a fallout
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Israel's parliament approves bill for West Bank annexation, Rubio warns of a fallout")
Israeli soldiers take position as Palestinians harvest olives in the occupied West Bank village of Turmus Ayya, on the outskirts of Ramallah, on October 20, 2025. Photograph: (AFP)
Israel’s parliament narrowly passes a bill to impose sovereignty over the occupied West Bank. Hamas condemned the move, and the US Secretary of State warned of its implications on the Gaza cease-fire deal
The Israeli parliament has preliminarily approved a bill that imposes Israeli sovereignty over the occupied West Bank. Hamas decried the move and said it “reflects the ugly face of the colonial occupation”. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the move threatens the fragile ceasefire deal in Gaza. He is in Israel now following the visit of the US Vice President JD Vance.
The bill was passed on Wednesday, following a narrow margin of 25-24 votes. The bill, referred to as "Application of Israeli Sovereignty in Judea and Samaria, 2025,” was pushed by far-right MK Avi Maoz. It will now be discussed by the Parliament's Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee.
"They passed a vote in the Knesset, but the president (Donald Trump) has made clear that’s not something we’d be supportive of right now," said Rubio.
Hamas' statement called this a direct violation of international law. In July 2024, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued an advisory opinion stating that Israel's occupation of the Palestinian territories is illegal and that Israel should withdraw its settlers.
"We affirm that the occupation's frantic attempts to annex West Bank lands are invalid and illegitimate and will not change the fact that the West Bank is Palestinian territory according to history, international law, and the Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice issued in 2024," said Hamas' statement.
The United Arab Emirates, in September, indicated that West Bank Annexation would violate the spirit of the Abraham Accords, which was aimed at normalising Israel Arab relations.
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Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, in a statement, said that it denounces and condemns the Israeli Knesset's approval, reiterates its support for the “…historical right of the Palestinian people to establish their independent state on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital…”
The Oslo Accords of 1993 were meant to initiate a phased withdrawal of Israel from Palestinian territory in Gaza and the West Bank. The West Bank was divided into three areas: Area A under Palestinian civil and security control, Area B under Palestinian civil control and Israeli security control, and Area C under Israeli military and civil control. However, the planned Israeli withdrawal was never fully realised. As of mid-October 2025, there had been reports of at least 1000 attacks in the year, with 40,000 Palestinians forced from their homes in refugee camps in Jenin, Nur Shams, and Tulkarm since October 7, 2023.
