US Senator Marco Rubio has cautioned Israel against annexing the occupied West Bank following initial approval of two annexation bills in the Knesset, with the US Secretary of State warning that such moves could jeopardize the Gaza peace deal.
On Wednesday, Israeli MPs advanced two bills that would apply Israeli law to parts of the West Bank, a step Palestinians view as a direct grab of land intended for a future state. The vote marked the first of four required to pass the law and coincided with a visit by US Vice President JD Vance to Israel. President Donald Trump had previously stated he would not allow annexation of the West Bank.
“The President has made clear that it is not something we can be supportive of right now,” Rubio said, calling the annexation moves “threatening for the peace deal.”
Rubio added that while Israel is a democracy and lawmakers have the right to vote, the timing of these bills is “counterproductive.” He also expressed concern about violence by extremist Israeli settlers, emphasizing that any action that destabilizes progress in the region is worrying.
Several Arab and Islamic states, which the US is courting to provide troops and funding for a Gaza stabilization force, have warned that annexing the West Bank would cross a red line.
The bills were introduced by MPs outside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition. The first passed 25-24, and a second, targeting the Maale Adumim settlement, passed 31-9. However, both bills would require a lengthy legislative process to become law. Netanyahu’s coalition has historically pushed for formal annexation of parts of the West Bank, citing biblical and historical claims, though Israel maintains the territory is disputed rather than occupied, a stance widely rejected by the international community.
In 2024, the UN International Court of Justice ruled that Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories, including the West Bank, is illegal and called for withdrawal.
The Palestinian Foreign Ministry responded to Wednesday’s vote, affirming that Israel has no sovereignty over the West Bank or Gaza, while Hamas condemned the votes as reflecting “the ugly face of the colonial occupation.”
“We affirm that the occupation’s frantic attempts to annex West Bank lands are invalid and illegitimate,” Hamas said.
The move comes after Netanyahu scrapped a past annexation plan in 2020 to pursue normalization with the UAE and Bahrain under the Abraham Accords, brokered by President Trump. The UAE, a key Arab partner in the accords, reiterated that West Bank annexation remains a red line.
