Israel's renaming of West Bank is step toward annexation: Palestinian ministry

Palestine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs denounced a move by Israel's parliament on Sunday to approve a bill to replace the term "West Bank" with “Judea and Samaria,” calling it a serious escalation aimed at annexing the occupied territory.

In a statement, the ministry condemned the approval by the Knesset's Cabinet Committee for Legislation of the draft law.

The ministry described 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 UN resolutions, posing a direct threat to regional and global security and stability," the statement added.

The ministry called for urgent international intervention “to stop Israel's attempts to alter the political, legal, and geographical status of the internationally recognized State of Palestine.”

It also urged all countries to condition their relations with Israel on its adherence to international law and compliance with UN resolutions.

On Jan. 29, the Knesset passed a preliminary reading of a bill allowing illegal Israeli settlers to register themselves as legal landowners in the occupied West Bank.

Palestinians and Israeli left-wing organizations argue that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government is accelerating efforts to impose Israeli law on the West Bank in preparation for full annexation.

In recent months, Israeli government ministers, including Netanyahu himself, have openly expressed their intention to annex the West Bank, which has been under Israeli occupation since 1967.