• The Palestinian Foreign Ministry has condemned the Knesset’s move to rename the West Bank, calling it a blatant violation of international law and U.N. resolutions.
• This legislative effort is part of a broader push to legitimise illegal settlements, amid the recent murder of three Palestinians and the displacement of over 35,000 people.
The Palestinian Foreign Ministry has denounced a move by the Knesset to sanction a bill that would replace the term “West Bank” with “Judea and Samaria,” describing it as a serious escalation aimed at annexing the occupied territory.
In an official statement, the ministry condemned the Knesset’s Committee for Legislation’s approval of the draft law, noting that the term “Judea and Samaria” is a biblical reference to what is known today as the West Bank.
The ministry characterised the bill as “a dangerous escalation of Israel’s illegal unilateral actions, paving the way for the full annexation of the West Bank, the imposition of Israeli law by force, and a systematic undermining of the possibility of establishing a Palestinian state and resolving the conflict through peaceful political means.”
“This legislation, along with other occupation measures, does not create any legitimate right for Israel over the land of the State of Palestine. It is null and void, illegal, and a blatant violation of international law and U.N. resolutions, posing a direct threat to regional and global security and stability,” the statement added.
On January 29, the Knesset passed a preliminary reading of a bill that would allow illegal Israeli settlers to register themselves as legal landowners in the occupied West Bank.
Under current regulations, Israeli settlers are prohibited from directly purchasing land and may only acquire property through companies registered with the Israeli Civil Administration. According to Haaretz, the proposed legislation seeks to remove these restrictions and formally repeal a Jordanian-era statute that prohibits the leasing or sale of real estate to individuals who are not Jordanian, Palestinian, or of Arab descent.
“This is yet another annexation move initiated by the messianic right,” the Israeli group Peace Now stated.
All Israeli settlements in the West Bank are illegal under international law, and currently, over 700,000 settlers reside illegally in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem. Furthermore, the region has witnessed a perilous surge in settler violence, with the Israeli military deploying additional armoured vehicles, machinery, and bulldozers to several areas as part of its ongoing operation.
Last week, Israeli forces have reportedly shot dead three Palestinians, including a pregnant woman, in the West Bank. Officials stated on Monday that over 35,000 people have been displaced by Israel’s offensive.
