As the international community gains momentum in recognizing Palestine as a state, there have been reports that Israel is considering annexing the West Bank.
The decision was made to draw the line at not allowing annexation, which meant taking a different approach from the war-torn Gaza Strip and the West Bank, which Israel seized through the 1967 Six-Day War.
The West Bank is a hilly area (bank) located on the west side of the Yolanda River. Its area is 1.25 km².
Its area is 5,640 square kilometers, or about a quarter of the territory, 15 times larger than the Gaza Strip and roughly half the area of the entire Gyeonggi Province.
The West Bank is located in the city of Ramallah. Israeli right-wingers refer to the West Bank as "Judah and Samaria" in the Bible. The West Bank is so geographically isolated that it is considered a Jewish territory.
For this reason, far-right forces in Israel argue that the West Bank has biblical and historical rights and should be annexed to Israeli territory.
"It's the heritage of our ancestors. This is our land" (2017, at the 50th anniversary of the settlement in the northern West Bank), "We are the British who came to India, the Belgians in the Congo."
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has pledged to annex Jewish settlements and the West Bank, saying things like, "We are not Jewish. The West Bank is the land of our ancestors" (2011 speech to the US Congress).
However, in the process of normalizing relations with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain through the so-called "Abraham Accords" that took place in 2020 during President Trump's first term,
The West Bank also shares a border with Israel, making it a strategically important location that allows Israel to secure a military defense line.
The international community, the United Nations, and Israel have conflicting views regarding the legal status of the West Bank.
Society and the United Nations consider the West Bank to have been occupied by Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War. Israel, on the other hand, claims that the West Bank is in disputed territory and is not "occupied" under international law.
The legality of Jewish settlements differs depending on how the West Bank is defined. If the West Bank is considered "occupied territory," then Israel's construction of settlements is
It is illegal under international law based on the 2016 UN Security Council Resolution 2334 (declaring Israeli settlements illegal). If it is considered a "conflict area," settlement construction will be justified,
This also adds weight to the statements of Israeli far-right figures who say the West Bank should be annexed to Israel. Nevertheless, Israel effectively controls most of the West Bank.
According to the Oslo Accords of 1993, the West Bank was divided into Area A (18% of the total area, controlled and administered by Palestine), Area B (22% of the total area, controlled by Israel and administered by Palestine), and Area C (22% of the total area, controlled by Israel and administered by Palestine).
The area was divided into two parts: Area A (60%, Israel holds control and administrative power), and Area B (60%, Israel holds control and administrative power). Jewish settlements are mainly concentrated in Area C.
Thus, despite Israel effectively controlling the West Bank, there is no reason for it to insist on annexation.
The reason for this is thought to be political and diplomatic. This is a clear indication of the Israeli government's intention not to accept a "two-state solution" that would recognize Palestine as a state, and at the same time, it is a way of forcing Prime Minister Netanyahu to
For the right-wing coalition government, led by Prime Minister Netanyahu, this could be a bargaining chip in negotiations with the international community, as well as a way to rally support among conservative voters in domestic politics.
While aiming to exert pressure on Middle Eastern countries through annexation talk, he has also secured the support of hardline right-wing forces within the coalition government. In the end, the annexation argument is not just a territorial issue, but has also become a major factor in Israel's diplomacy.
It functions as a multi-layered card where international affairs and domestic affairs intersect.
2025/10/08 10:59 KST
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