West Bank Annexation

Smotrich announces expansion of West Bank's Highway 465, pushes for new level of 'safety, security'

"The doubling of this important road will create a completely different level of safety, security, and quality of life," said Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich in a statement announcing the project.

|ByTOBIAS HOLCMAN
Highway 465's expansion was approved.
CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR Gavin Newsom attends the inauguration of new installations at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center as part of the prison’s transformation plan, in San Quentin, California, US, February 20, 2026.

California Gov. Newsom says West Bank annexation, Netanyahu could lead Israel into apartheid state

Newsom insisted that he doesn't think Israel is an apartheid state, but that Netanyahu's actions in the last couple of years are what worry him.

|ByTOBIAS HOLCMAN
MAN walks in the Jewish outpost of Yahish Zion, near the Jewish settlement of Psagot, in the West Bank.

Palestinian family says settlers annexed unfinished West Bank home

A UN inquiry reported last month that settler attacks on Palestinian villages and agricultural land had surged since 2023, rising by 130%.

|ByREUTERS
The Ibrahimi mosque or the Tomb of the Patriarchs, in the West Bank city of Hebron, July 3, 2024.

Foreign Ministry denies annulment of Hebron Agreement, contradicting Smotrich's announcement

Under the 1997 Hebron Agreement, the Hebron Municipality oversaw planning and construction across the city, including the Tomb of the Patriarchs and the adjoining Ibrahimi Mosque.

|ByMIRIAM SELA-EITAM

Behind scenes of Abraham Accords: Israeli annexation halted day before deadline

Israeli annexation of West Bank settlements was scuttled within 24-hours of its July 1 deadline in 2020, Barak Ravid revealed in his new book interviewing Donald Trump.

DECEMBER 13, 2021ByTOVAH LAZAROFF
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stands with US President Donald Trump after signing the Abraham Accords, normalizing relations between Israel and some of its Middle East neighbors, in a strategic realignment of Middle Eastern countries against Iran, on the South Lawn of the White House i

73 congressional Democrats to Biden: Call Israeli settlements illegal

A letter from Democratic congresspeople to President Joe Biden urged him to overturn Trump presidency policies.

JUNE 25, 2021ByRON KAMPEAS/JTA
US HOUSE LEAD impeachment manager Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) speaks during the impeachment trial of former US president Donald Trump last week.

Jerusalem Flag March cancelled after police reject Damascus Gate route

Originally, the march was scheduled to pass through the Damascus Gate near the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood.

JUNE 7, 2021ByIDAN ZONSHINE
Israelis take cover as a siren sounds warning of incoming rockets from the Gaza Strip, during Jerusalem day, in Jerusalem, May 10, 2021.

From Trump to Biden; from West Bank annexation to Israeli apartheid

The settlement movement is now almost precisely where it was four years ago and in some ways it is in an even worse position.

JANUARY 20, 2021ByTOVAH LAZAROFF
Donald Trump and Joe Biden

Friedman recalls close connection to Trump as days in post draw to close

Speaking to Trump weekly and meeting monthly gave Friedman unparalleled power as an ambassador.

JANUARY 10, 2021ByTOBIAS SIEGAL
PRIME MINISTER Benjamin Netanyahu and US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman attend Wednesday’s ceremony in Ariel that extended Israel-US scientific cooperation agreement in West Bank and Golan Heights.

2020: A year when normalization trumped annexation

SETTLEMENT AFFAIRS: Israel pulled back from West Bank annexation in 2020, but the story is not over.

DECEMBER 31, 2020ByTOVAH LAZAROFF
A DEMONSTRATION in Jerusalem in February calling on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to declare sovereignty over the settlements in the West Bank.

Drive to oust Netanyahu moved back center as Bennett forgoes annexation

If Bennett won’t stand on principle for West Bank annexation, who will?

DECEMBER 27, 2020ByTOVAH LAZAROFF
Gideon Sa'ar, Benjamin Netanyahu and Naftali Bennett: Potential candidates for prime minister in 2021.

Biton: No budget to legalize West Bank settler outposts

Right now the Civil Administration lacks the ability to service Israeli and Palestinians in Area C, according to Biton.

DECEMBER 2, 2020ByTOVAH LAZAROFF
Defense Ministry's Civil and Social Issues Minister Michael Biton touring the Gaza Strip area, August 20, 2020.

156 UN nations affirm West Bank settlements, east J'lem not part of Israel

The 2016 UN Security Council Resolution 2334 called on its member states to ensure that they do not participate in actions of de facto annexation.

NOVEMBER 19, 2020ByTOVAH LAZAROFF
The results of the UN General Assembly's Second Committee vote on Palestinian sovereignty in East Jerusalem and the West Bank

Can Pompeo replace annexation with a glass of Psagot wine?

Pompeo would be the first US Secretary of State to enter the West Bank to visit areas under Israeli control.

NOVEMBER 16, 2020ByTOVAH LAZAROFF
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo visiting Sudan, 2020.