Israel’s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has declared that 2025 will be the “year of annexation of the West Bank.” The European Union reacted to the Israeli Minister’s unlawful statement. High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borell said, “This is a clear step towards illegal annexation.”
“I unequivocally condemn Minister Smotrich’s call for the ‘implementation of sovereignty’ in the West Bank. This is a clear step towards illegal annexation. Such rhetoric violates international law, violates Palestinian rights, and undermines hopes for a two-state solution,” Borrell said on social media.
Türkiye rejected “in the strongest terms” recent calls by top Israeli officials to annex the occupied West Bank.
The lack of penalties for Israel’s ongoing “policy of genocide and occupations” against Palestinians further encourages Benjamin Netanyahu and his supporters, it stated.
It called on the UN Security Council and the international community to take a strong stance against Israel’s “unlawful” policies.
Ruling Justice and Development Party AK Party spokesperson Ömer Çelik separately condemned the remarks, saying they “not only violate international law but also aim to expand the war and increase the massacres.” According to Daily Sabah.
“International institutions must recognize Israel is targeting the international community and all of humanity and must act at once,”
– Ömer Çelik.
Israel’s far-right Finance Minister Smotrich, speaking yesterday before the caucus meeting of his far-right Religious Zionism Party, stated that Donald Trump’s new presidency presents “an important opportunity to apply Israeli sovereignty to the settlements in Judea and Samaria the West Bank.” Smotrich said, “We were one step away from applying sovereignty to the settlements in Judea and Samaria, and now is the time to do so,” adding, “2025 will be the year of sovereignty in Judea and Samaria the West Bank.”
