Israel’s latest measures to tighten control over the West Bank have triggered international outrage, with warnings from Washington to Brussels about the dangerous escalation.
Defence Minister Israel Katz announced sweeping changes extending Israeli authority into Palestinian-administered areas, explicitly aimed at strengthening settlements and blocking Palestinian statehood. “We will continue to kill the idea of a Palestinian state,” Katz declared alongside Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.
The security cabinet’s approved measures ease land ownership identification and allow non-Arabs to purchase West Bank property. Crucially, they transfer building permits in Hebron from Palestinian authorities to Israeli military administration, potentially violating the 1997 Hebron protocol. Rachel’s Tomb in Bethlehem also shifts from Palestinian to direct Israeli control.
The backlash was immediate and widespread. A White House official reiterated President Trump’s opposition to annexation, calling West Bank stability essential for regional peace. The EU warned sanctions remain “on the table,” including potential suspension of trade agreements.
Arab and Islamic nations—including Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Turkey, and Pakistan—issued joint condemnation, warning the measures would “inflame violence, deepen conflict and endanger regional stability.” Britain demanded immediate reversal, calling any unilateral territorial changes “wholly unacceptable” under international law.
The Palestinian Authority warned the measures aim at “deepening attempts to annex the occupied West Bank,” though its own authority has eroded through Israeli obstruction, settlement expansion, and internal corruption.
The crisis unfolds as Netanyahu prepares for White House talks with Trump.
