Israel Advances Annexation Step as Rubio Warns Move Could Threaten Gaza Deal By The Media Line Staff Israel’s parliament narrowly advanced a bill late Wednesday to apply Israeli sovereignty in the West Bank, setting off swift diplomatic pushback from Washington, Riyadh, and Ramallah. The measure—introduced by right-wing lawmaker Avi Maoz of the Noam Party—passed its […]
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The Media Line: Israel Advances Annexation Step as Rubio Warns Move Could Threaten Gaza Deal
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Israel Advances Annexation Step as Rubio Warns Move Could Threaten Gaza Deal
By The Media Line Staff
Israel’s parliament narrowly advanced a bill late Wednesday to apply Israeli sovereignty in the West Bank, setting off swift diplomatic pushback from Washington, Riyadh, and Ramallah. The measure—introduced by right-wing lawmaker Avi Maoz of the Noam Party—passed its first hurdle 25–24 after a heated debate and now moves to the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee for further consideration. Proponents frame the step as aligning law and administration with Israeli settlements; opponents say it amounts to annexation that could derail efforts to end the war in Gaza.
The Trump administration’s top diplomat weighed in as he departed for a 48-hour visit to Israel. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters, “They passed a vote in the Knesset, but the president has made clear that’s not something we’d be supportive of right now. We think there’s potential for it to threaten the peace deal.” He added, “They’re a democracy, people are going to have their votes, people are going to take these positions, but at this time we think it might be counterproductive.” The State Department has said Rubio’s trip focuses on the “successful implementation” of President Donald Trump’s proposal to end the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza.
Regional reaction was immediate. Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry denounced the initial votes as moves “aimed at ‘legitimizing Israeli sovereignty over illegal colonial settlement,’” stressing its “complete rejection of all settlements and expansionist violations perpetrated by the Israeli occupation authorities.” Riyadh reiterated support for “the inherent and historical right of the Palestinian people to establish their independent state on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.”
From Ramallah, the Palestinian Foreign Ministry condemned the Knesset action and said Israel has no authority over any part of Palestinian territory. The ministry called the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip an “integral geographical unit of the State of Palestine,” warning that “attempts to impose new realities on the ground” are “null and void,” and vowing to challenge them through political, diplomatic, and legal means.
Politically, the vote exposed strains inside Israel’s governing bloc. Channel 12 reported that some coalition members backed the opposition-sponsored bill despite Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s call to abstain, signaling internal divisions over annexation policy. With the bill now in committee, Israel faces a collision of domestic pressures and international warnings that any step toward formal annexation could upend diplomacy on Gaza and strain ties with key Arab partners.