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Yahoo
7 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Knesset approves declaratory measure to apply Israeli sovereignty to West Bank
According to Israeli law, the current status of the territories it captured from Jordan in the Six-Day War, save for east Jerusalem, is that of a 'temporary belligerent occupation.' Following a long debate in the plenum, the Knesset approved a declaratory resolution on Wednesday in support of 'applying Israeli sovereignty to Judea, Samaria, and the Jordan Valley.' The vote passed by a large margin, 71-13, with six votes coming from the opposition Yisrael Beytenu party and four from United Torah Judaism, despite the latter having left the coalition and government on July 14. Opposition parties Yesh Atid and Blue and White did not participate in the vote, and the Democrats, Ra'am, and Hadash-Ta'al voted against the resolution. The vote was categorized as a 'debate on a topic that the Knesset decided to place on the agenda' without any operational or legislative consequences. Proposed by Knesset Land of Israel caucus leaders MKs Simcha Rothman (Religious Zionist Party), Dan Illouz (Likud), and Limor Son Har-Melech (Otzma Yehudit), the resolution states as follows: 'The Knesset affirms that the State of Israel has a natural, historical, and legal right to the entirety of the Land of Israel – the ancestral homeland of the Jewish people.' 'The Knesset calls upon the cabinet of Israel to act promptly to extend Israeli sovereignty, including law, jurisdiction, and administration, over all areas of Jewish communities, in all its forms, in Judea, Samaria, and the Jordan Valley. This action will strengthen the State of Israel and its security, and will safeguard the fundamental right of the Jewish people to peace and security in their homeland.' 'On behalf of the Jewish people living in Zion, we call upon our friends around the world to stand with the desire to return to Zion and the vision of the prophets, and to support the State of Israel in exercising its natural, historical, and legal right to the Land of Israel and in implementing Israel's sovereignty.' According to the resolution's preamble, 'Judea, Samaria, and the Jordan Valley are an inseparable part of the Land of Israel – the historical, cultural, and spiritual homeland of the Jewish people. Centuries and millennia before the establishment of the State of Israel, the patriarchs, prophets, and founders of the Jewish nation lived and acted in these regions. Cities such as Hebron, Shechem (Nablus), Shiloh, and Beit El are not merely historic sites – they are living symbols of the continuous Jewish presence in the Holy Land.' The preface continued, 'Sovereignty in Judea and Samaria is an integral part of fulfilling Zionism and the national vision of the Jewish people returning to their ancestral homeland. The October 7, 2023, massacre demonstrated that the establishment of a Palestinian state poses an existential threat to Israel, its citizens, and the stability of the entire region.' 'On July 18, 2024, the Knesset declared its opposition to the establishment of a Palestinian state west of the Jordan River, stating that such a state would endanger the State of Israel and its citizens, perpetuate the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and undermine regional stability. This resolution effectively removed the concept of a Palestinian state from the agenda,' the preamble concluded. In his speech presenting the resolution, Rothman alluded to the July 2024 resolution. 'A year ago, my colleagues and I, as members of the Knesset Land of Israel caucus, had the privilege of advancing a historic resolution in this house – a resolution by which the Knesset firmly rejected the establishment of a Palestinian state between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea,' Rothman said. 'For many painful years, both the State of Israel and the international community were misled by 'the PLO's Staged Plan' for the destruction of Israel and the Zionist enterprise. From the days of the Oslo Accords, through the 2005 Disengagement from the Gaza Strip, and via various diplomatic initiatives, the notion of establishing a terrorist state in the heart of our land loomed dangerously,' he added. 'But the people of Israel awoke. And you, my fellow members of this honorable house, stood together and declared before the Angel of Destruction: Enough! No more! We removed the idea of a Palestinian state from the national and global agenda through a principled, clear, and resolute declaration by the Knesset,' Rothman said. The MK refuted the claim that the vote was meaningless since it was merely declaratory. 'Indeed, a Knesset resolution does not itself implement sovereignty,' he said. 'According to Israeli law, only the government, using an executive order, or the Knesset via formal legislation, can extend Israeli law, jurisdiction, and administration to parts of the Land of Israel.' 'But even as a declaration, this resolution carries immense meaning. It expresses our unbreakable bond with the Land of Israel, the cradle of Jewish civilization. It reflects the national aspiration to realize the return to Zion. It calls upon the Israeli government to act without delay, by its authority, to transform vision into reality,' Rothman said. 'It also calls upon Israel's friends worldwide to stand behind the moral, legal, historical, religious, and cultural right of the Jewish people – and its nation-state – to the entire Land of Israel, and to support the demand that the Jewish people be sovereign in their homeland,' he continued. In his speech during the opening of the debate, Illouz said in English, 'Today, for the first time ever, the Knesset is officially expressing its support for applying sovereignty over Judea and Samaria. Judea and Samaria are not bargaining chips; they are the very heart of our ancestral homeland, the very places where our ancestors walked.' 'Sovereignty is not merely a political stance; it represents victory, identity, and lasting security in the Middle East,' he said. 'Across the world, nations respect those who stand firmly for their values. I call for sovereignty now with pride, with resolve, and without hesitation.' Opposition leader MK Yair Lapid said in a statement at the start of the debate, 'The coalition's attempt to inflate a procedural motion – an event with no legal significance– is a pathetic and ridiculous effort to divert attention from the political reality that tonight, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will dismiss the chairperson of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee amid a war, simply because he refused to promote draft evasion.' 'It won't help them. The disgrace is theirs to bear,' he said. According to Israeli law, the current status of the territories it captured from Jordan in the Six Day War, save for east Jerusalem, is that of a 'temporary belligerent occupation,' and the legal governor of the territories is the IDF Central Command's commanding officer. During the Oslo Accords signed between Israel and the Palestinian Authority in the 1990s, the territories were split into three different designations – Area A, chiefly Palestinian towns and cities that are under full security and civilian control of the PA; Area B, which is under Israel's security control but the Palestinians' civil control; and Area C, which is under Israeli security and civilian control. Half a million Israeli settlers live in the West Bank Israel's approximately 500,000 settlers reside primarily in Area C. Israel views the majority of its settlements as legal under domestic law, built on state land and according to legally viable government decisions. A majority of international organizations view the settlements as a violation of Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, which outlaws settling civilians in conquered territory. Israel has said in its defense that Israeli citizens were neither deported nor transferred to the territories, and that the territory is not occupied since there had been no internationally recognized legal sovereign there prior. In 2024, the International Court of Justice in The Hague issued an advisory opinion that Israel's presence in the West Bank was no longer temporary and therefore unlawful under international law. Solve the daily Crossword
Shafaq News
23-07-2025
- Politics
- Shafaq News
Israeli lawmakers push symbolic motion to annex West Bank
Shafaq News – Middle East Israel's parliament voted on Wednesday on a symbolic motion calling for the annexation of the occupied West Bank, a move that has sparked sharp condemnation from the Palestinian Authority. The non-binding proposal, backed by 71 lawmakers and submitted by a cross-party group of lawmakers including Likud MK Dan Illouz and Settlements Minister Orit Strook of the Religious Zionism bloc, declares that Israel 'will not accept solutions that involve dangerous territorial concessions' and must commit to 'its future as a secure Jewish state.' Though the motion carries no legal weight, it is widely seen as part of a broader effort to normalize calls for extending Israeli sovereignty over the territory it has occupied since the 1967 Arab-Israeli war. It follows a pattern of similar legislative and rhetorical pushes, including a Knesset resolution last year that overwhelmingly rejected the establishment of a Palestinian state. The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates denounced the move, warning it would entrench a system of apartheid and further erode the prospects for peace. In a statement released Wednesday, the ministry said the Knesset's actions reflect 'blatant disregard' for United Nations resolutions and the July 2024 advisory opinion by the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which affirmed the illegality of Israel's presence in the West Bank. 'These colonial measures deliberately undermine the implementation of the two-state solution,' the statement said, accusing the Israeli government of escalating toward a permanent occupation that fuels further conflict. The ministry urged the international community to 'take these developments seriously' and act decisively to stop them, especially with a UN conference on the two-state solution approaching. The Knesset vote comes against the backdrop of increasing tensions in the West Bank, where settlement expansion, military operations, and settler violence have drawn mounting international criticism. According to the UN, over 700,000 Israelis now live in settlements considered illegal under international law. Wednesday's motion follows a January 2024 resolution passed by the Knesset rejecting Palestinian statehood by a margin of 68 to 9, reflecting broad parliamentary consensus on maintaining Israeli control over the occupied territory.
Middle East Eye
23-07-2025
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
Knesset set to vote on symbolic motion calling for Israeli annexation of West Bank
Israel's Knesset will vote on a motion calling for the annexation of the occupied West Bank on Wednesday, the latest move in an ongoing campaign to strengthen Israel's hold on the occupied Palestinian territory. The proposal is non-binding and serves largely as a symbolic gesture that will not affect the legal status of the West Bank but will help build momentum towards a possible move on the territory, which has been occupied by Israel since 1967. 'This move would make it clear to the world that Israel will not accept solutions that involve dangerous territorial concessions, and that it is committed to its future as a secure Jewish state,' the proposal says. Submitted by a cross-party group of MKs, the motion is supported by Likud member Dan Illouz and Minister for Settlements Orit Strook, a member of the National Religious Party–Religious Zionism bloc, a Likud coalition partner. Strook's party colleague Simcha Rothman and Yisrael Beiteinu MK Oded Forer are also co-sponsoring the motion. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters Likud ministers Yariv Levin and Shlomo Karhi have both said they will be voting in favour of the motion. The ultra-orthodox Shas party, which is part of Likud's electoral coalition and have long played kingmaker in the Knesset, have also stated that they will support the motion. Last year a similar motion rejecting Palestinian statehood received emphatic cross-party support, passing 68-9. The vote is set to take place at the end of Knesset's final session before its summer recess. 'Window of opportunity' The proposal comes amid heightened international pressure surrounding the issue of Palestinian statehood, with world leaders set to meet at an international summit on the topic at the UN headquarters in New York in September. In May, Israel's Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer warned the UK and France that recognition of a Palestinian state would be met by unilateral Israeli action towards annexation, according to anonymous diplomatic sources cited by Haaretz. Israeli settlers attack German journalists reporting on West Bank violence Read More » The vote follows a conference hosted on Monday by five Likud MKs titled 'Sovereignty Now – Realizing the Window of Opportunity to Apply Sovereignty to Judea and Samaria,' organised in cooperation with an NGO called The Sovereignty Movement. Senior Israeli MKs and government officials have also been ramping up formal discussions around the annexation of the Gaza Strip amid Israel's ongoing war on the enclave. Another Knesset conference was hosted on Tuesday by the far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bazael Smotrich, titled 'The Gaza Riviera - From Vision to Reality". 'We will occupy Gaza and make it an inseparable part of Israel," Smotrich said at the conference. Israeli officials have made no secret of their hope of expelling Palestinians from Gaza and establishing Israeli rule over the territory. Addressing the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee in May, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israeli forces are 'destroying more and more homes' and that the 'only inevitable outcome will be the wish of Gazans to emigrate outside of the Gaza Strip', Maariv reported.
New York Post
13-06-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
Israel's Iran slam tells ALL dictators: the Free World will defend itself
Israel just did what no one else dared to do: We hit Iran before Iran could hit us — or you. In a massive overnight operation, we struck nuclear facilities, missile launchers and the command centers of a regime that has called — openly and repeatedly — for the annihilation of the Jewish state and America. We weren't retaliating. We were preventing. And this wasn't 'escalation.' This was survival. Because when your enemies march in the streets shouting 'Death to Israel' and 'Death to America,' and you know they're just weeks away from building a nuclear weapon — you don't wait. You don't hope for a miracle. You act. We know full well that Iran will respond. We're not naïve. We're bracing for what may come — rockets, missiles, cyberattacks or worse. But we also know this: The cost of doing nothing would have been far greater. A nuclear Iran would not just threaten Israel — it would hold the world hostage. From Tel Aviv to New York, Riyadh to London, Tehran would control the rules of the game. That's not speculation. That's reality. And yet for years, the West looked the other way. Negotiated. Appeased. Waited. All while Iran funded Hezbollah in the north, Hamas in the south, the Houthis in Yemen, and chaos across the globe. And then came Oct. 7th, 2023. That day — when Hamas terrorists backed by Iran murdered, raped, and burned entire families alive — was a turning point not just for Israel, but for Jews everywhere. It was the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust. And it reminded us — and should have reminded the world — that evil doesn't go away on its own. It must be confronted, proactively and relentlessly. Israel learned that lesson the hard way. And this week, we acted on it. And for those who ask if we had the 'right' to strike Iran, ask yourself — what would your country do if its enemies publicly promised to wipe you off the map and were building the means to do it? Would you wait for them to push the button — or stop them before they could? We didn't act out of arrogance. We acted out of responsibility. Not just to our citizens, but to the entire free world. Because when Israel draws a red line and enforces it, the message is heard far beyond our borders. To every dictator watching — we're proving that the free world can still defend itself. And to every terrorist hiding in Gaza or Lebanon — we're showing that Jewish blood is not cheap. Not anymore. We are not what we were in 1943. We are not stateless. We are not silent. We are a sovereign nation — and sovereign nations don't wait politely to be destroyed. No one wants escalation. But surrender isn't peace. Appeasement isn't a strategy. Prevention is. We might pay a price for this moment — we know that. But we also know what the price of inaction would have been: A nuclear-armed Iran and a region ruled by fear. We chose to act. We chose to lead. And history will remember who stood tall when it mattered. Dan Illouz is a member of Israel's Knesset for the Likud Party.
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Dozens of MKs across the aisle sign letter of support for Jewish diaspora communities
The letter, signed by 67 Members of Knesset from both sides of the aisle, expressed "unshakable solidarity" with the diaspora community. Some 67 Members of Knesset from the coalition and opposition signed a letter initiated by Likud MK Dan Illouz on Thursday expressing solidarity with the Jewish diaspora, in the wake of the 'deeply troubling' peak of antisemitic incidents worldwide. The letter, which was made out to 'our brothers and sisters in the Diaspora— With love, with pain, and with unshakable solidarity,' included signatories from all of the Knesset's Jewish parties, including the ultra-Orthodox (haredi) parties in the coalition and four opposition parties. 'On the 23rd of Iyar, 5785 (May 21, 2025), two people—Sarah Milgram and Yaron Lishinsky—were murdered in a shooting outside the Jewish Museum in Washington, simply because the killer wanted to murder Jews,' the letter began. 'This was not an attack on soldiers. It wasn't a protest against policy. It was a vile act of antisemitism—pure and simple. And tragically, this wasn't an isolated incident. It's part of a deeply troubling global trend: Since October 7, antisemitism has been spreading at an alarming pace—on campuses, in the streets, across social media, and throughout the public sphere,' the MKs continued. 'Yet in the darkness, your light has shone brightly. You stood with us during our hardest moments. You marched, you gave, you fought for the truth. You reminded us that Am Yisrael is one people—united. For that—we thank you. Thank you for your courage. Thank you for your determination. Thank you for your love. Because of you, we were not alone. And now—you won't be alone either,' the MKs continued. They continued, 'We, Ministers and Members of Knesset from across the political spectrum, speak to you with one clear voice: We are with you. We see you. We hear you. We feel your pain. And we will not be silent. The bond between the Jewish Diaspora and the State of Israel does not depend on circumstance. It is eternal. We are one family—bound by destiny, rooted in history, and entrusted with the mission of building a future of strength and dignity—together. From Jerusalem to Washington, from Tel Aviv to Toronto—we stand as one. And we say, with pride and with love: Am Yisrael Chai,' the MKs concluded. Illouz, who is originally from Montreal, said to the Post, 'When Jews are targeted simply for being Jewish, our response must be united and unequivocal. This was not just a crime—it was part of a global wave of hate that demands moral clarity. We want every Jewish community to know: you are not alone. Israel sees you, stands with you, and will always fight antisemitism wherever it appears. Am Yisrael is one family—and we stand together.' According to a report by the World Zionist Organization and the Jewish Agency for Israel that was published in January, in 2024 antisemitic incidents in the US rose by 288% compared to 2022, and in Canada by 562%
