ISRAEL’S far-right finance minister has ordered preparations for the annexation of the occupied West Bank ahead of US president-elect Donald Trump taking office next year.
Al Jazeera reported that Bezalel Smotrich published a statement on Monday in which he voiced his hope that the new administration in Washington will recognise Israel’s push for “sovereignty” over the occupied territory.
In addition to his finance portfolio, Smotrich – who himself lives in an illegal Israeli settlement – also holds a position within Israel’s Defence Ministry where he oversees the administration of the occupied West Bank and its settlements.
“2025: the year of sovereignty in Judea and Samaria,” Smotrich wrote on Twitter/X, using the biblical name by which Israel refers to the occupied West Bank.
At a meeting of his far-right faction in the Israeli parliament or Knesset on Monday, Smotrich welcomed Trump’s US presidential election victory over Kamala Harris and said he had instructed the Defence Ministry’s Settlement Directorate and Civil Administration to lay the groundwork for annexation.
He said: “I have directed the start of professional work to prepare the necessary infrastructure to apply Israeli sovereignty over Judea and Samaria.
“I have no doubt that President Trump, who showed courage and determination in his decisions during his first term, will support the State of Israel in this move.”
Smotrich said there is broad agreement within Israel’s ruling coalition for the move and regarding opposition against the formation of a Palestinian state.
“The only way to remove this danger from the agenda is to apply Israeli sovereignty over the settlements in Judea and Samaria,” he declared.
Nabil Abu Rudeineh, the spokesperson for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, said Smotrich’s remarks confirmed the Israeli government’s intention to annex the occupied West Bank in defiance of international law.
“We hold the Israeli occupation authorities fully responsible for the repercussions of these dangerous policies,” he said.
He added that the US was also responsible for the continuous support it has “offered to Israel’s aggression”.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said that while leaders of the settler movement may be confident that Trump could be inclined to support such moves, the government had made no decision.
“A decision has not yet been made on the issue,” Saar told a news conference in Jerusalem on Monday.
“The last time we discussed this issue was in the first term of President Trump.
“And so let’s say that if it will be relevant, it will be discussed again also with our friends in Washington.”
The West Bank has been under Israeli occupation since 1967. Since then, Israeli settlements have expanded despite being illegal under international, and, in the case of settlement outposts, Israeli law.
Smotrich has previously stated his intention to extend Israeli sovereignty over the occupied territories, thwarting the creation of a Palestinian state.
He has also threatened to destabilise Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition if a ceasefire is negotiated with Hezbollah on Israel’s northern front.
During his first term as president, Trump (above) in 2017 recognised Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, overturning decades of US policy and international consensus.
He also supported policies that allowed for continued settlement expansion and proposed a plan for a “Palestinian entity” that would lack full sovereignty.
Since joining Netanyahu’s coalition government, Smotrich has openly advocated for expanding Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank as steps toward eventual annexation.
