Mideast: The Israeli Government's Plan To Annex the West Bank
Menahem Kahana/AFP/Getty Images
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has made it known that by July 1st, he wishes to extend the sovereignty of his country into the Palestinian-claimed land of the occupied territories, most notably in the West Bank.
Currently, over 2,345,000 Palestinians live in the West Bank which has an overall population of around 3.2 million. The West Bank itself is a product of the first Arab-Israeli War in 1948 which resulted in a section of land being annexed by Jordan after the formation of a ceasefire line that divided the territory from the newly formed Israeli state. In the 1967 “Six-Day” War between Israel, and Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Iraq, and Lebanon, Israel captured the Sinai Peninsula (returned to Egypt after), the Gaza Strip, East Jerusalem, the Golan Heights(now Israeli-occupied Syrian territory) and the West Bank. In subsequent years, a large number of Israeli settlers (currently over 430,000) began moving into the West Bank which was seen by many Israelis as part of a historical Israeli land called “Judea and Samaria.” The problem of Israeli settlers in the West Bank and in other Occupied territories has resulted in major problems between Israel and the Palestinians. Settler violence, restricted Palestinian freedom of movement, political strife, and the perceived encroachment of Israel onto Palestinian territory, has caused the settlement issue to become a predominant obstacle in the way towards peace between Israel and Palestine. This will be further exacerbated by a move to incorporate these settlements into the wider territory of Israel, meaning an annexation of the West Bank.
What does Annexing the West Bank Mean?
The annexation of the West Bank, what the Israeli government considers part and parcel territory of historical Israel, is a move that for Netanyahu and his Likud government, not to mention his popular base, will guarantee and safeguard future control of a sought after area by many Israelis. The migration of settlers into the West Bank is an illustration of the value some Israelis see in the area and whether ties to the land from collective memory are seen as valid or not, there is a clear desire by some to annex the area which has a Palestinian majority that does not agree to annexation. Netanyahu’s immediate plans would see the incorporation of 100 settlements into Israel and depending on future plans would absorb all of the West Bank. Of course, not all Israelis agree with the government’s decision to annex and recent protests have illustrated the divide between Israel’s more conservative Jerusalem based faction and its more liberal Tel-Aviv population.
The annexation of the West Bank besides being illegal in international law (all though this has historically not held much sway in deterring countries), would see the further deterioration of relations between Israel and Palestine and in all likelihood, further destabilization in the region would arise. In the West Bank, it will certainly lead to more violence whether at hands at IDF soldiers, protests to annexation, or armed responses from Hamas and other militant groups. For the Palestinian community, it inevitably means another blow to independence. This considering the West Bank’s role as a stronghold for Palestinian presence in the region. Palestinians will inevitably remain in the West Bank and resist leaving as a means to resist annexation. Indeed, as one community organizer said, “ Palestinians in these areas know exactly what is happening on the ground, and their very existence in these communities is a form of resistance”. But this may not deter the Israeli government whose current administration remains bent on imposing its presence on Palestinian majority areas, which they still perceive as part of an authentic Israeli homeland.
American and International Responses
The Trump administration has and will continue to support the Israeli government in whatever decisions it chooses to make. The United States has always been a close ally to the country and virtually all US presidents have been supportive of the Israeli state,. However, recent moves from the current president have bolstered and amplified relationships between the two. In addition to recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and declaring the legality of settlers; in the recent so-called peace plan, the American government has put forth an option for Israel to annex up to 30% of the West Bank. Prime Minister Netanyahu has quickly taken advantage of this while essentially ignoring the rest of the plan’s vision of an independent Palestinian state. In past days, the American government has reiterated its tacit approval of West Bank annexation in a United Nations Security Council meeting, reinforcing an inferred preference to annexation.
Beyond the United States, the United Nations Secretary-General has urged Israel to abandon annexation plans as well as argued that it will lead to increased instability and a major hindrance to peace. Moreover, in a joint statement, several European countries including Belgium, France, Germany, and Britain have warned about the undermining of peace that annexation would pose. Jordan, a country whose ties to Israel have been rather stable compared to other Arab countries, has also made it known that it does not support annexation plans citing its potential to lead to further conflict. Some other Arab countries have been quick to condemn annexation plans as well, including the United Arab Emirates whose ambassador wrote a scathing assessment of the move warning it would endanger ties with the Arab world, as illustrated by the title of the article: “It’s Either Annexation or Normalization”. Indeed, it seems like the response from the international community excluding the United States is one of explicit condemnation, but it remains that Israel will in all likelihood move along with annexation plans regardless of verbal condemnation; that is unless more substantive plans are put into action by either the international community as a whole or by individual countries to stop the annexation of the West Bank and the possibility of further destabilization in the region.
A Palestinian Response
In terms of a militant response to the annexation of the West Bank, Hamas has warned that it will treat annexation as a declaration of war and has called on a “popular movement” to express anger at Netanyahu’s annexation plans. The group, as well as a lesser-known militant organization, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, have threatened attacks which may have promoted the IDF into preparing for a state of war scenario in the region.
Back on May 19th, Palestinian National Authority President Mahmood Abbas warned Israel that it would withdraw from all agreements from the country in response to the annexation decision and more recently has called on Israel’s Defense Minister to halt annexation plans. The Palestinian Authority, has also come under fire itself for its lack of authority (despite its name), its mistreatment of certain Palestinian activists, and its overall ineffectiveness. Therefore, it remains difficult to assess how reflective of the general Palestinian sentiment the PNA is, and how effective it is, if at all, in getting a unified Palestinian message across and enacting any sort of tangible resistance to perceived injustice from the Israeli state.
It is difficult to ascertain what ordinary Palestinians living in the West Bank think about Israeli annexation, considering the dominance of large groups such as PNA and Hamas on Palestinian discourse in the news media. According to The Economist, over half of Palestinians living in the West Bank said they would return to an armed struggle against the Israeli states if annexation plans go underway.
If that is so, the emergence of another intifada may very well be on its way. Only this time, the Palestinian population living in the West Bank will have to contend with the fact that barring any sort of meaningful international or local response, their territory may be deemed permanently thereafter a part of Israel. A move that is unprecedented at least since 1967. If Israel annexes the West Bank it will very likely mean a blow to peace in the region, and may even end the hope of an independent Palestinian State; which is a clear dereliction of Trump’s “peace plan” which promises an independent Palestine. It remains to see how the international community will respond on July 1st, but as it stands annexation of the West Bank will lead to further destabilization in the Middle East and a significant transgression to Palestinian self-determination.
