Annexation is back on the agenda.
Bezalel Smotrich, a senior Israeli government minister, is threatening that 2025 will be the “year of sovereignty in Judea and Samaria.”
If he is serious – and there’s no reason to suspect the self-proclaimed “fascist homophobe” is bluffing – then we can expect Israel will soon formally claim ownership of the Palestinian land it has stolen in the West Bank.
Of course, Israel will not include a confession to land theft in any announcement. Calling the West Bank “Judea and Samaria” is a way of asserting a biblically-ordained “right” to a territory Israel has occupied since 1967.
No other nation recognizes that “right.” But Smotrich and his colleagues are hoping that the US will do so – once Donald Trump is inaugurated as president in January. ….more
