The Israeli Knesset is set to vote on Wednesday on a controversial bill that would formally annex parts of the occupied West Bank, imposing Israeli sovereignty over Palestinian lands.

The measure, submitted by Avi Maoz, leader of the far-right Noam Party, is widely seen as an attempt to legalize Israel’s ongoing colonization and ethnic displacement of Palestinians.

If the bill is rejected in today’s session, it cannot be reintroduced in the Knesset for six months. However, last July, the Knesset approved a declaration calling for the imposition of Israeli sovereignty in the West Bank by a majority of 71 lawmakers, signaling continued intentions to consolidate illegal occupation.

The proposed annexation has drawn widespread international condemnation as a blatant violation of international law and a direct threat to any prospects for a two-state solution. Palestinian communities across the West Bank have already suffered from settler violence, forced displacement, and restrictions on accessing their lands—conditions that the annexation would worsen.

Human rights groups warn that such a move would further entrench Israel’s decades-long occupation, undermine Palestinian rights, and escalate tensions in the region. Observers stress that formal annexation would be a major step toward de facto erasure of Palestinian sovereignty and a devastating blow to peace efforts. (ILKHA)