A far-right Israeli minister, Bezalel Smotrich, promised Monday the annexation in 2025 by Israel of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, saying he sees “an opportunity” in Donald Trump's return to power in the United States, reportsAFP.
During a speech in Parliament, Bezalel Smotrich, Minister of Finance, also responsible for civil management in the West Bank, and therefore the settlements, affirmed that the “creation of a Palestinian state […] would endanger the existence of the State of Israel”.
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“The only way to eliminate this threat […] is to apply Israeli sovereignty over the settlements of Judea and Samaria”said Bezalel Smotrich, using the name that Israelis give to the West Bank, Palestinian territory occupied by Israel since 1967.
Colonies deemed illegal by the UN
Apart from annexed East Jerusalem, more than 490,000 Israelis live in the West Bank, in colonies that the UN considers illegal under international law, among 3 million Palestinians.
Himself a settler, Bezalel Smotrich specified that 2025 would be “the year of sovereignty in Judea and Samaria” and that he had instructed the administration to organize “to prepare the infrastructure necessary for the application of sovereignty” Israeli on West Bank settlements.
“I have no doubt that President Trump, who demonstrated courage and determination in his decisions during his first term, will support the State of Israel in this endeavor”he said.
“Racist colonialism par excellence”
In a statement, the Palestinian foreign minister said “condemned in the strongest terms” the words of Bezalel Smotrich, symptomatic according to him of a “racist colonialism par excellence” and a “repeated disregard for international law” encouraged by “the international failure to enforce United Nations resolutions relating to the Palestinian question”.
During his first stint in power, Donald Trump made numerous gestures in favor of Israel, moving the American embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, recognizing Israeli sovereignty over the annexed occupied Syrian Golan Heights and contributing to the normalization of ties between Israel and several Arab countries with the Abraham Accords.
Bezalel Smotrich is scheduled to participate in the “Israel forever” gala in Paris on Wednesday, an event in support of Israel organized by several far-right personalities. The gala, for which French associations, unions and left-wing parties have unsuccessfully demanded the cancellation, will be held on the eve of the France-Israel football match.
This meeting is considered “high risk” by the French authorities after the violence which occurred last Thursday in Amsterdam on the sidelines of a match involving the Israeli club Maccabi Tel-Aviv.
