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Russia Today
4 days ago
- Politics
- Russia Today
Israel just drew a new map – without saying it out loud
In a significant yet non-binding move, the Israeli legislature has overwhelmingly approved a declaration urging the immediate extension of Israeli sovereignty over Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank and the Jordan Valley. The motion, which passed by a vote of 71 to 13, was backed by right-wing and center-right factions including Likud, Shas, Religious Zionism, Otzma Yehudit, and Yisrael Beiteinu. The text declares that the October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas — referred to in Israeli political discourse as the 'Simchat Torah Massacre' — proves that the creation of a Palestinian state poses a mortal danger to Israel's existence. 'The Knesset declares that the State of Israel has the natural, historical, and legal right to all parts of the Land of Israel,' the resolution reads. 'The Knesset calls on the Government of Israel to act without delay to apply sovereignty… over all areas of Jewish settlement in Judea, Samaria, and the Jordan Valley.' Though labeled symbolic, Palestinian experts view the vote as laying the bureaucratic foundation for a permanent Israeli presence and governance in the West Bank, the heartland of a future Palestinian state as envisioned by international consensus. Saad Nimr, professor of political science at Birzeit University in the West Bank, told RT the implications of the Knesset's move are far-reaching. 'This is not symbolic at all,' Nimr said. 'It means these settlements are now treated as Israeli cities. They're no longer 'occupied' under military law. This is the legal and bureaucratic infrastructure of annexation.' He continued: 'The Israeli ministries — not the military — will now oversee health, welfare, planning, and infrastructure in these areas. It's not about theory. It's about bulldozers, budgets, and expansion.' Dimitri Diliani, a member of the Fatah Revolutionary Council, echoed that sentiment. 'To describe the vote as symbolic is dangerously naive,' Diliani warned. 'In Israeli politics, symbolism is often a precursor to de facto annexation. While the Knesset motion lacks binding legislative authority, it institutionalizes consensus in both government and opposition to expand the State of Israel's settler-colonial project with new domestic political legitimacy.' Diliani added that members of the Knesset are already pushing legislation to replace the internationally recognized term 'West Bank' with the biblical 'Judea and Samaria' — further entrenching a nationalist narrative in Israeli law. Many analysts see the vote not only as ideological, but also as a tactical political maneuver to preserve Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's fragile governing coalition. 'It's quite clear this was a political exchange,' said Nimr. '[The leader of the National Religious Party–Religious Zionism Bezalel] Smotrich and [the leader of the Otzma Yehudit ('Jewish Power') party] Ben Gvir threatened to leave the government if negotiations in Doha led to a Gaza ceasefire. This vote is Netanyahu's way of keeping them on board.' By offering the far right a symbolic prize on annexation, Netanyahu appears to be stalling a government collapse – even as truce talks with Hamas continue under Qatari mediation. Diliani described the move as 'opportunistic,' adding: 'It's designed to pre-empt mounting international legal scrutiny, particularly after the International Court of Justice advisory opinion in July 2023, which declared Israel's occupation of Palestinian territory illegal.' The reaction from the international community was swift but toothless. Jordan condemned the vote as 'a blatant violation of international law.' The European Union and the Arab League issued similarly worded rebukes, reaffirming their commitment to a two-state solution. But both Palestinian analysts were unshaken by the lack of meaningful repercussions. 'The historical record teaches us that international consensus does not always translate into action,' said Diliani. 'Israel's alignment with key Western powers, particularly the United States, has only grown stronger – even amid documented live-streamed Israeli genocide in Gaza and tremendous war crimes in Jerusalem and the rest of the West Bank.' He cited continued US military support, which amounts to $3.8 billion annually in aid and has reached nearly $20 billion in additional military assistance since the war on Gaza began in October 2023. 'Israel continues to enjoy extensive trade privileges with the EU,' Diliani added. 'Over three-quarters of a million illegal colonial Israeli settlers reside in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Yet the response from the international community remains negligible. Absent deterrent sanctions or accountability mechanisms, Israel interprets this as tacit permission to proceed.' Nimr was equally scathing. 'Israel went into this decision with an overwhelming majority in the Knesset. That means they don't care about the international community's opinion. The EU witnessed with their own eyes the genocide in Gaza, the use of hunger as a weapon, and still didn't take any real action.' 'If there is no punishment,' Nimr said, 'it's interpreted as agreement. So now, they feel they have a green light.' The analysts tie this impunity to Israel's entrenched position within the Western geopolitical orbit. In 2024, bilateral trade between the EU and Israel reached $46 billion, with Germany, France, and the Netherlands among the top exporters of dual-use technologies. Meanwhile, the United States increased both defense cooperation and intelligence-sharing with Israel under the Biden administration, even as it publicly maintained opposition to annexation. 'This double standard is embedded in the architecture of global power,' said Diliani. 'The situation with Crimea in 2014 triggered sweeping sanctions against Russia. In contrast, the State of Israel's ongoing genocide in Gaza and de facto annexation of the West Bank is rewarded with increased arms transfers and diplomatic cover.' 'Israel functions as a strategic Western colonial stronghold in the Middle East. It ensures violations of international law are overlooked. Unlike Russia, which is constructed as a threat to Western order, Israel is portrayed as an extension of that order – even when it dismantles international norms.' Diliani added that allegations of antisemitism are strategically deployed to shield Israeli actions from critique. 'The Zionist instrumentalization of antisemitism allegations to silence critics of its genocidal war crimes has further immunized the Israeli state from accountability.' Nimr agreed. 'The double standard is the slogan – the unspoken slogan – of international diplomacy. Countries deal with Israel differently than they deal with Russia or China, because Israel is part of the same imperialist and capitalist system they belong to.' He called for a global reassessment of the post-WWII international legal framework. 'All these laws, including the United Nations and the Security Council, should be under review. The system is broken. The US veto can block any decision against a country like Israel – its favorite ally in the region.' Both experts believe that the consequences of the Knesset vote extend far beyond diplomatic rhetoric. For Nimr, it should mark a turning point for the Palestinian leadership. 'This decision affects all Palestinians,' Nimr said. 'The two-state solution is not only behind us – it's officially dead. The law blows up the Oslo Agreement.' Signed in the 1990s, the Oslo framework laid the foundation for limited Palestinian self-rule under Israeli oversight – a compromise meant to pave the way toward a two-state solution that now appears conclusively buried. Nimr called on the Palestinian Authority to take immediate, concrete steps, beginning with ending security coordination with Israel – a practice long criticized by Palestinian civil society as collaboration. 'If Oslo is dead, then why should we keep our part of it? The Palestinian Authority must immediately stop all security cooperation. That would send a strong message.' Beyond this, Nimr urged national unity. 'We need a united front – Fatah, Hamas, all factions – to strategize against this existential threat. For decades, we had two paths: negotiations under Oslo, or resistance. Now, the Oslo path has been closed by Israel itself.' Diliani, too, believes Palestinians must take matters into their own hands. 'We are no longer dealing with theoretical annexation,' he said. 'This is the normalization of apartheid and settler-colonial domination – with legal mechanisms to enforce it. Palestinians must now focus on building grassroots resistance, mobilizing international civil society, and dismantling the myth of Israeli democracy.'
Russia Today
4 days ago
- Politics
- Russia Today
‘Sovereignty written with bulldozers': How Israel lays foundations for permanent West Bank annexation
In a significant yet non-binding move, the Israeli legislature has overwhelmingly approved a declaration urging the immediate extension of Israeli sovereignty over Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank and the Jordan Valley. The motion, which passed by a vote of 71 to 13, was backed by right-wing and center-right factions including Likud, Shas, Religious Zionism, Otzma Yehudit, and Yisrael Beiteinu. The text declares that the October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas — referred to in Israeli political discourse as the 'Simchat Torah Massacre' — proves that the creation of a Palestinian state poses a mortal danger to Israel's existence. 'The Knesset declares that the State of Israel has the natural, historical, and legal right to all parts of the Land of Israel,' the resolution reads. 'The Knesset calls on the Government of Israel to act without delay to apply sovereignty… over all areas of Jewish settlement in Judea, Samaria, and the Jordan Valley.' Though labeled symbolic, Palestinian experts view the vote as laying the bureaucratic foundation for a permanent Israeli presence and governance in the West Bank, the heartland of a future Palestinian state as envisioned by international consensus. Saad Nimr, professor of political science at Birzeit University in the West Bank, told RT the implications of the Knesset's move are far-reaching. 'This is not symbolic at all,' Nimr said. 'It means these settlements are now treated as Israeli cities. They're no longer 'occupied' under military law. This is the legal and bureaucratic infrastructure of annexation.' He continued: 'The Israeli ministries — not the military — will now oversee health, welfare, planning, and infrastructure in these areas. It's not about theory. It's about bulldozers, budgets, and expansion.' Dimitri Diliani, a member of the Fatah Revolutionary Council, echoed that sentiment. 'To describe the vote as symbolic is dangerously naive,' Diliani warned. 'In Israeli politics, symbolism is often a precursor to de facto annexation. While the Knesset motion lacks binding legislative authority, it institutionalizes consensus in both government and opposition to expand the State of Israel's settler-colonial project with new domestic political legitimacy.' Diliani added that members of the Knesset are already pushing legislation to replace the internationally recognized term 'West Bank' with the biblical 'Judea and Samaria' — further entrenching a nationalist narrative in Israeli law. Many analysts see the vote not only as ideological, but also as a tactical political maneuver to preserve Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's fragile governing coalition. 'It's quite clear this was a political exchange,' said Nimr. '[The leader of the National Religious Party–Religious Zionism Bezalel] Smotrich and [the leader of the Otzma Yehudit ('Jewish Power') party] Ben Gvir threatened to leave the government if negotiations in Doha led to a Gaza ceasefire. This vote is Netanyahu's way of keeping them on board.' By offering the far right a symbolic prize on annexation, Netanyahu appears to be stalling a government collapse – even as truce talks with Hamas continue under Qatari mediation. Diliani described the move as 'opportunistic,' adding: 'It's designed to pre-empt mounting international legal scrutiny, particularly after the International Court of Justice advisory opinion in July 2023, which declared Israel's occupation of Palestinian territory illegal.' The reaction from the international community was swift but toothless. Jordan condemned the vote as 'a blatant violation of international law.' The European Union and the Arab League issued similarly worded rebukes, reaffirming their commitment to a two-state solution. But both Palestinian analysts were unshaken by the lack of meaningful repercussions. 'The historical record teaches us that international consensus does not always translate into action,' said Diliani. 'Israel's alignment with key Western powers, particularly the United States, has only grown stronger – even amid documented live-streamed Israeli genocide in Gaza and tremendous war crimes in Jerusalem and the rest of the West Bank.' He cited continued US military support, which amounts to $3.8 billion annually in aid and has reached nearly $20 billion in additional military assistance since the war on Gaza began in October 2023. 'Israel continues to enjoy extensive trade privileges with the EU,' Diliani added. 'Over three-quarters of a million illegal colonial Israeli settlers reside in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Yet the response from the international community remains negligible. Absent deterrent sanctions or accountability mechanisms, Israel interprets this as tacit permission to proceed.' Nimr was equally scathing. 'Israel went into this decision with an overwhelming majority in the Knesset. That means they don't care about the international community's opinion. The EU witnessed with their own eyes the genocide in Gaza, the use of hunger as a weapon, and still didn't take any real action.' 'If there is no punishment,' Nimr said, 'it's interpreted as agreement. So now, they feel they have a green light.' The analysts tie this impunity to Israel's entrenched position within the Western geopolitical orbit. In 2024, bilateral trade between the EU and Israel reached $46 billion, with Germany, France, and the Netherlands among the top exporters of dual-use technologies. Meanwhile, the United States increased both defense cooperation and intelligence-sharing with Israel under the Biden administration, even as it publicly maintained opposition to annexation. 'This double standard is embedded in the architecture of global power,' said Diliani. 'The situation with Crimea in 2014 triggered sweeping sanctions against Russia. In contrast, the State of Israel's ongoing genocide in Gaza and de facto annexation of the West Bank is rewarded with increased arms transfers and diplomatic cover.' 'Israel functions as a strategic Western colonial stronghold in the Middle East. It ensures violations of international law are overlooked. Unlike Russia, which is constructed as a threat to Western order, Israel is portrayed as an extension of that order – even when it dismantles international norms.' Diliani added that allegations of antisemitism are strategically deployed to shield Israeli actions from critique. 'The Zionist instrumentalization of antisemitism allegations to silence critics of its genocidal war crimes has further immunized the Israeli state from accountability.' Nimr agreed. 'The double standard is the slogan – the unspoken slogan – of international diplomacy. Countries deal with Israel differently than they deal with Russia or China, because Israel is part of the same imperialist and capitalist system they belong to.' He called for a global reassessment of the post-WWII international legal framework. 'All these laws, including the United Nations and the Security Council, should be under review. The system is broken. The US veto can block any decision against a country like Israel – its favorite ally in the region.' Both experts believe that the consequences of the Knesset vote extend far beyond diplomatic rhetoric. For Nimr, it should mark a turning point for the Palestinian leadership. 'This decision affects all Palestinians,' Nimr said. 'The two-state solution is not only behind us – it's officially dead. The law blows up the Oslo Agreement.' Signed in the 1990s, the Oslo framework laid the foundation for limited Palestinian self-rule under Israeli oversight – a compromise meant to pave the way toward a two-state solution that now appears conclusively buried. Nimr called on the Palestinian Authority to take immediate, concrete steps, beginning with ending security coordination with Israel – a practice long criticized by Palestinian civil society as collaboration. 'If Oslo is dead, then why should we keep our part of it? The Palestinian Authority must immediately stop all security cooperation. That would send a strong message.' Beyond this, Nimr urged national unity. 'We need a united front – Fatah, Hamas, all factions – to strategize against this existential threat. For decades, we had two paths: negotiations under Oslo, or resistance. Now, the Oslo path has been closed by Israel itself.' Diliani, too, believes Palestinians must take matters into their own hands. 'We are no longer dealing with theoretical annexation,' he said. 'This is the normalization of apartheid and settler-colonial domination – with legal mechanisms to enforce it. Palestinians must now focus on building grassroots resistance, mobilizing international civil society, and dismantling the myth of Israeli democracy.'
Arab News
6 days ago
- Politics
- Arab News
Saudi Foreign Ministry condemns Israeli Knesset's call to Impose control over Occupied West Bank and Jordan Valley
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Foreogn Affairs has condemned on Thursday the Israeli Knesset's call to impose control over the occupied West Bank and Jordan Valley, describing it as a blatant violation of international law and United Nations resolutions. Israel's parliament approved a symbolic measure calling for the annexation of the occupied West Bank on Wednesday. Lawmakers voted 71-13 in favour of the motion which called for 'applying Israeli sovereignty to Judea, Samaria and the Jordan Valley'. In a statement, the ministry said the actions by the Israeli authorities undermined efforts to achieve peace through the two-state solution, and reflected a continued insistence on destruction and destabilization. #وزارة_الخارجية: المملكة تدين وتستنكر مطالبة الكنيست الإسرائيلي بفرض السيطرة على الضفة الغربية والأغوار الفلسطينية المحتلة، والذي يُعد انتهاكًا صارخًا للقوانين الدولية وقرارات الأمم المتحدة. — واس العام (@SPAregions) July 24, 2025 The motion, advanced by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition is non-binding and the Kingdom reaffirmed its rejection of all violations committed by the Israeli authorities against the Palestinian people and their legitimate rights to self-determination. It also called on the international community to take serious steps to implement UN resolutions that uphold the Palestinian people's inherent right to live in dignity on their land, within an independent state along the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital. has no direct legal implications, though it could place the issue of annexation on the agenda of future debates in the parliament.
Al Bawaba
6 days ago
- Politics
- Al Bawaba
Israeli Knesset passes motion to officially annex West Bank and Jordan Valley
Published July 23rd, 2025 - 03:20 GMT The non-binding resolution, passed by a landslide majority with 71 votes, against 13, signals a formal political shift toward annexation and has sparked strong regional and international concern. ALBAWABA- In a major escalation of Israeli policy, the Knesset on Wednesday overwhelmingly passed a motion calling for the application of full Israeli sovereignty over the occupied West Bank and the Jordan Valley. Also Read Gaza: 76 children died of starvation The non-binding resolution, passed by a landslide majority with 71 votes, against 13, signals a formal political shift toward annexation and has sparked strong regional and international concern. — RT (@RT_com) July 23, 2025 The motion asserts that the West Bank is no longer to be treated as a territory under temporary military occupation, but as an integral part of the Israeli state. As a result, Palestinians in the West Bank would be considered residents under Israeli law rather than citizens, with their legal status subject to revocation. Legal analysts warn that this move could allow Israel to strip Palestinians of their residency rights if they are deemed non-compliant with Israeli regulations. This opens the door to potential large-scale displacements, particularly to third countries with which Israel has signed agreements. Those who remain are likely to face restrictions on civil and political rights, further entrenching a system of legal and political inequality. Also Read Israel struck Hodeida port in Yemen The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the Knesset's decision, describing it as a "dangerous step toward institutionalized apartheid" and "a direct violation of international law and Palestinian sovereignty." Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a key figure in the far-right coalition, welcomed the vote. He also renewed calls for a full military occupation of Gaza and advocated for what he termed a "humanitarian separation plan", a controversial proposal aimed at displacing Gaza's population and dismantling Hamas through overwhelming force or forced population transfer. © 2000 - 2025 Al Bawaba (
Yahoo
19-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Israeli settlers accused of killing 117 sheep in West Bank attack
Israeli settlers accused of killing 117 sheep in West Bank attack By Ali Sawafta JORDAN VALLEY, West Bank (Reuters) -Palestinian Bedouins accused Israeli settlers on Friday of killing 117 sheep in an overnight attack and stealing hundreds of others in an apparent effort to chase farmers off their land in the occupied West Bank. The incident comes amid what the United Nations described this week as intensifying attacks by Jewish settlers and security forces against Palestinians in the West Bank and record mass displacements. The Israeli army did not respond to a request for comment about the mass slaughter of the animals belonging to the Arab al-Kaabaneh Bedouin community, in the Jordan Valley. Veterinarians were called in to treat a handful of sheep which had survived the knife and gun attack, some of the animals shaking uncontrollably and in apparent shock. Salem Salman Mujahed, a resident of Arab al-Kaabaneh, said multiple groups of settlers working in coordination had orchestrated the assault, and accused the army of standing by. "(Settlers) came near the houses. I asked them what are you doing here then we started fighting with each other," he said. "The army detained me, and they handcuffed me." He said other groups of settlers then attacked the sheep, which are vital to his community's survival. Reuters was unable to independently verify who was responsible for the attack. Palestinian Minister Moayad Shaaban condemned the incident, calling it part of a broader strategy to displace Palestinians from the region. "These sheep and animals were slaughtered and shot at," he told Reuters. "They are using these tools to terrify these people to leave these areas, which have been inhabited for dozens of years." MOVING AWAY The attack prompted at least one family to begin relocating. Bedouin Tareq Kaabaneh said he could no longer withstand what he called settler intimidation. "They were armed, they steal donkeys and sheep. In the night they come here and start shooting toward us," Kaabaneh said. "I am moving now from here, I want to protect my kids and my sheep, my livelihood ... yesterday I was safe, but I don't know what will happen to me tomorrow," he added. The United Nations reported this week that mass displacements in the West Bank had reached levels unprecedented since Israel first took military control of the territory nearly six decades ago. The U.N. Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva also said there had been 757 settler attacks on Palestinians or their properties since January - a 13% increase from the same period last year. At least 964 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, since the start of the war in Gaza in October 2023. Over the same period, 53 Israelis have been killed in attacks by Palestinians or in armed clashes. The U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee demanded this week a full investigation into the killing of a Palestinian American who was beaten to death by settlers in the West Bank on July 11, describing it as a "criminal and terrorist act". The United Nations' highest court said last year that Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories, including the West Bank, was illegal and should end as soon as possible. Israel disputes this, citing security needs as well as historical and biblical ties to the land, which it captured in the 1967 Middle East war. The West Bank is among the territories Palestinians seek for an independent state.
