Israeli Lawmakers Advance West Bank Annexation Bills Amid U.S. Opposition

Israeli lawmakers have advanced two bills proposing the annexation of West Bank territories, despite U.S. President Trump's stated opposition to such measures. The Knesset's preliminary votes on Wednesday moved forward legislation to annex Maale Adumim, a settlement east of Jerusalem, and the entire West Bank. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party largely abstained from the votes, with the party describing the bills as "another provocation by the opposition aimed at damaging our relations with the United States." Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a proponent of annexation, stated, "The time has come to impose full sovereignty over all of Judea and Samaria." The Palestinian foreign ministry condemned the votes, emphasizing that the occupied Palestinian territories constitute a single geographic unit over which Israel has no sovereignty. Jordan's foreign ministry also condemned the votes, calling them "a blatant violation of international law and a grave undermining of the two-state solution." President Trump reiterated his opposition in September, stating, "I will not allow Israel to annex the West Bank."