Israel's Parliament Backs Symbolic Motion to Annex the West Bank
Wednesday's motion, advanced by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition, is declarative and has no direct legal implications, although it could place the issue of annexation on the agenda of future debates in the parliament.
Israel captured the West Bank in the 1967 Mideast war, along with the Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem. The Palestinians want all three for a future state. Some 3 million Palestinians and over 500,000 Jewish settlers live in the West Bank.
Annexation of the West Bank could make it impossible to create a viable Palestinian state alongside Israel, which is seen internationally as the only realistic way to resolve the conflict.
Last year, the Israeli parliament approved a similar symbolic motion declaring opposition to the establishment of a Palestinian state.
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