Israel’s Knesset calls to annex Judea and Samaria in symbolic, non-binding motion

The Knesset, Israel’s parliament, passed a resolution on Wednesday calling for Judea and Samaria (internationally known as the West Bank) to be annexed and made an inseparable part of the State of Israel.

The non-binding motion, which will not have any immediate effect on policy, passed 71-3 in a rare show of bipartisanship in the deeply divided legislature.

It was supported by the ultra-Orthodox parties, which left the government over the IDF draft law dispute, as well as the opposition party Yisrael Beitenu.

The largest opposition forces, Yesh Atid and Blue and White, were absent but did not actively vote against.

“The Knesset determines that the State of Israel has the natural, historical, and legal right to all areas of the Land of Israel, the historical homeland of the Jewish people,” the motion read.

The parliament called on the government to “act promptly to apply sovereignty – Israeli law, jurisdiction, and administration – to all areas of Jewish settlement in its various forms in Judea, Samaria, and the Jordan Valley.”

“This action will strengthen the State of Israel and its security and will prevent any challenge to the Jewish people's basic right to peace and security in its homeland.”

The text also referenced a recent motion opposing a Palestinian state on the same territory, noting that the Oct. 7 massacre “proved that the establishment of a Palestinian state is an existential threat to Israel, its citizens, and the entire region.”

The territories of Judea and Samaria, which include most of the biblical heartland, were captured by Israel from Jordan in the Six-Day War of 1967.

Most countries claim Israel has been illegally occupying the territory since that time in a violation of international law. Wednesday’s vote will not have any practical implications for the status of the territory, which has been governed jointly by Israel and the Palestinian Authority under the Oslo Accords of 1993.

Today, several million Palestinians and around 500,000 Jews live in the area, which includes parts of east Jerusalem that Israel officially annexed in 1980.

After the vote, Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana (Likud) declared, “This is our land. This is our home. The Land of Israel belongs to the people of Israel.”

“In 1967, the occupation did not begin; it ended, and our homeland was returned to its rightful owners. We are the original first natives of this piece of land. Jews cannot be the ‘occupier’ of a land that for 3,000 years has been called Judea,” he added.

Yuli Edelstein, the embattled chairman of the Defense Committee who was moved from his post later that evening, noted that as the military remained on the battlefield and hostages were still in Gaza, “there is no more appropriate, clear, and just Zionist response than – applying sovereignty over parts of our historical homeland.”

Likud lawmaker Dan Illouz praised the Knesset’s “historic step,” adding, “Judea and Samaria are not bargaining chips—they are the heart of our land. Sovereignty is the image of victory. We cannot defeat Hamas in Gaza or deter Iran while leaving Beit El and Kedumim in question.”

The motion was opposed by the left-wing Democrats Party, as well as the three Arab parties.

“Annexation of Judea and Samaria is a clear danger to the future of the state of Israel and the Zionist enterprise,” Democrats MK Gilad Kariv wrote on 𝕏.

He further criticized the discussion about the resolution “a smokescreen for abandoning the hostages and promoting the draft-dodging law.”

The newly elected deputy president of the Palestinian Authority, Hussein al-Sheikh, slammed the vote as a “dangerous escalation that undermines the prospects for peace, stability and the two-state solution.”

“These unilateral Israeli actions blatantly violate international law and the ongoing international consensus regarding the status of the Palestinian territories, including the West Bank,” he wrote in a post on 𝕏.

The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates also strongly rejected the motion.

The ministry stated that these “colonial measures” reinforce a system of “apartheid” and reflect a “blatant disregard” for many United Nations resolutions.