During a meeting with his faction in the Israeli parliament on November 11, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said he had instructed Israeli agencies overseeing settlements in the West Bank to begin preparing the necessary infrastructure for expanding sovereignty in 2025, according to Reuters.
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich
Mr. Smotrich, a West Bank resident, said he would urge the government to contact the administration of US President-elect Donald Trump to recognize the aforementioned expansion of sovereignty.
Mr. Smotrich is the leader of the Nationalist-Zionist religious party, which holds far-right political views. In addition to his role as Finance Minister, he also has an oversight role in the Ministry of Defense regarding settlers, as part of a coalition government agreement with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said that the government's position on the issue of extending sovereignty in the West Bank has not been finalized. "The last time we discussed this was during President Trump's first term. If it is still relevant, it will be discussed again with our friends in Washington," Saar said.
Prime Minister Netanyahu confirmed that Israel was behind the series of shootings targeting Hezbollah's message boxes in Lebanon.
The foreign minister also noted that Israel considers areas in the West Bank such as Judea and Samaria to be disputed territory, not occupied territory.
The West Bank was one of the areas controlled by Israel during the 1967 Six-Day War, but it is also considered by Palestinians as territory for a future state with international support.
Most major powers consider Israel's settlements in the West Bank illegal. The U.S. has long supported a two-state solution between Israel and Palestine and has urged Israel not to expand settlements. During Trump's first term, the U.S. and Israel held discussions about plans to annex parts of the West Bank, according to Reuters.
Responding to Minister Smotrich's remarks, Nabil Abu Rudeineh, spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, said those statements confirmed Tel Aviv's intention to annex the West Bank, in defiance of international law.
Mr. Rudeineh declared that the Israeli government would bear full responsibility for the consequences of these dangerous policies, and that the United States would also be held responsible for continuing to support Tel Aviv.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/bo-truong-cuc-huu-israel-thuc-day-sap-nhap-lanh-tho-tai-bo-tay-185241112124347469.htm
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