In a week marked by high-stakes diplomacy and political posturing, the Israeli parliament’s preliminary vote to annex parts of the occupied West Bank has drawn sharp rebukes from the United States, condemnation from the international community, and exposed deep rifts within Israel’s own leadership. The bill, which would apply Israeli law to the West Bank—a move widely seen as tantamount to annexation—passed by the slimmest of margins on Wednesday, October 22, 2025, with 25 votes in favor and 24 against in the 120-seat Knesset. Yet, despite its symbolic passage, few expect the measure to become law.
The timing and intent of the vote have been the subject of fierce debate. According to AP and BBC, the bill was sponsored by Avi Maoz, leader of the far-right Noam party, and backed by ultranationalist ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, all of whom have long advocated for annexation. However, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office was quick to distance itself, describing the move as a "deliberate political provocation by the opposition to sow discord"—a sentiment echoed in English-language statements released to the press after U.S. Vice President JD Vance was questioned about the vote at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion airport.
Vance, wrapping up a two-day visit to Israel, did not mince words. "If it was a political stunt, then it is a very stupid political stunt," he told reporters. "I personally take some insult to it. The policy of the Trump administration is that the West Bank will not be annexed by Israel." He reiterated, "That will continue to be our policy. If people want to take symbolic votes, they can do that. But we certainly weren’t happy about it." The Vice President’s remarks were reinforced shortly thereafter by President Donald Trump, who told Time magazine, "Israel would lose all of its support from the United States if that happened. Don’t worry about the West Bank."
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who arrived in Israel the same day, also weighed in. He warned that steps toward annexation could jeopardize Trump’s plan to end the conflict in Gaza. "Annexation would be counterproductive for Trump’s Gaza peace plan," Rubio said before his flight. "The president’s made clear that’s not something we’d be supportive of right now. And we think it’s even threatening to the peace deal." Rubio’s visit followed those of senior White House officials, including Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, as Washington sought to shore up a fragile 13-day-old truce between Israel and Hamas after two years of war.
The international response was swift and unequivocal. More than a dozen countries, including Egypt, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, and Turkey, joined major multilateral organizations representing Arab and Muslim states in condemning the Knesset’s move. The United Nations’ top court, the International Court of Justice, had already ruled in 2024 that Israel’s occupation and settlement activity in the West Bank and East Jerusalem are illegal and should be withdrawn as soon as possible. The Palestinian foreign ministry issued its own denunciation, declaring that Israel would have "no sovereignty over Palestinian land."
Despite the bill’s narrow passage, its prospects for becoming law are slim. Netanyahu’s right-wing Likud party and its ultra-Orthodox coalition partners did not vote for the measure—"except for one disgruntled Likud member who was recently fired from the chairmanship of a Knesset committee," according to the prime minister’s office. Without Likud’s support, the bill is unlikely to survive the three additional readings needed to become law. Netanyahu, for his part, has previously voiced support for annexation but has consistently refrained from advancing such measures, wary of alienating both Washington—Israel’s most important ally—and Arab nations that have normalized relations with Israel in recent years.
Observers note, however, that a "de facto annexation" continues apace. According to Al Jazeera and BBC, Israel has established about 160 settlements housing over 700,000 Israelis in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since the territories were captured in the 1967 Middle East war. These settlements, considered illegal under international law, now exist alongside an estimated 3.3 million Palestinians. Rights groups and the United Nations report that settlers, often armed and backed by Israeli soldiers, have carried out attacks on Palestinians, destroyed property, and forced thousands from their homes with near-total impunity. The first half of 2025 saw a 13% increase in settler attacks compared to the same period the previous year, with Israeli forces intensifying their incursions and mass arrests in Palestinian towns and refugee camps.
The human toll of the conflict is staggering. Since the outbreak of war on October 7, 2023, more than 68,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, according to the territory’s health ministry—a figure regarded as reliable by the UN. In the West Bank, more than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces or settlers, and over 90% of Gaza’s population has been displaced. Aid organizations say the devastation is nearly absolute: eight out of every ten buildings in Gaza have been damaged or flattened, and the World Bank, United Nations, and European Union estimate the cost of reconstruction at $53 billion.
Amid this devastation, Vice President Vance unveiled new details about U.S. plans for Gaza’s reconstruction, expressing hope that rebuilding could soon begin in "Hamas-free" areas. "The hope is to rebuild Rafah over the next two to three years and theoretically you could have half a million people live there," he said, referring to Gaza’s southernmost city. That would account for about a quarter of the territory’s population, much of which remains displaced.
Earlier in the week, Vance also announced the opening of a civilian military coordination center in southern Israel, where around 200 U.S. troops are working alongside the Israeli military and delegations from other countries to plan Gaza’s stabilization. The United States is seeking support from Gulf Arab nations for an international stabilization force and the training of Palestinian police forces not affiliated with Hamas. "We’d like to see Palestinian police forces in Gaza that are not Hamas and that are going to do a good job, but those still have to be trained and equipped," Secretary Rubio said.
Meanwhile, humanitarian needs remain acute. Since the ceasefire began on October 10, 2025, the World Health Organization has evacuated 41 critical patients and 145 companions from Gaza, but some 15,000 patients are still waiting for approval to receive medical care outside the territory. Aid delivery is hampered by congestion at the two open border crossings, with only 949 aid trucks offloaded since October 11. "We expected Gaza to be flooded with aid the moment the ceasefire began. But that’s not what we’re seeing," said Bushra Khalidi of Oxfam, highlighting the scale of the challenge.
As the dust settles on a tumultuous week, the future of the West Bank and Gaza remains deeply uncertain, shaped by political brinkmanship, international diplomacy, and the enduring hopes—and hardships—of those on the ground.