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Palestine's Foreign Ministry censures Israeli Knesset vote on West Bank annexation

Iran Press TV

Wednesday, 23 July 2025 6:51 PM

The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates has strongly denounced the motion passed in the Israeli parliament (Knesset) that called for the annexation of the West Bank and expansion of illegal settlements in the occupied territory, in breach of international law.

In a statement released on Wednesday, the ministry stressed that these 'colonial' measures reinforce a system of apartheid in the occupied Palestinian territory.

The Israeli move also reflects blatant disregard for United Nations resolutions and the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), it noted.

Israel's presence in the West Bank was ruled unlawful by the ICJ last year.

In a landmark advisory opinion last July, the ICJ declared Israel's occupation of Palestinian territory illegal and called for the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank, including occupied al-Quds.

The Palestinian statement further warned that such Israeli actions deliberately undermine the prospects of implementing the so-called two-state solution.

It called on the international community to take Israel's discussions of annexation seriously in the run-up to September's UN conference on the two-state solution.

The Israeli parliament earlier approved a resolution rejecting the establishment of a Palestinian state. It argued that the establishment of a Palestinian state "will pose an existential danger to Israel."

The Palestinian Ministry on Wednesday also warned that the occupation continues to expand settlements and deepen annexation on a daily basis.

The statement comes hours after the Israeli Knesset voted for the annexation of the occupied West Bank. Israeli media reports said the non-binding motion was backed by 71 members of the 120-seat assembly against 13 votes.

More than 700,000 Israelis live in over 230 settlements built since the 1967 Israeli occupation of the West Bank and East al-Quds. All Israeli settlements are illegal under international law.

Under the shadow of the genocidal war in Gaza, Israel has accelerated its annexation drive in the West Bank.

The Knesset's move comes at a time when, as of June 2024, the State of Palestine is recognized as a sovereign state by 145 out of 193 UN member states, over 75% of the entire United Nations.