Everybody knows this but nobody admits it – Peter
Last week Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, advanced first-reading bills to apply Israeli law in the occupied West Bank, prompting public pushback from Washington and a temporary pause ordered by the prime minister. The headlines suggest annexation has been checked. The record suggests otherwise.
Annexation already operates in practice. In recent years, powers once held by the Israeli army’s Civil Administration have been handed to civilian ministries, giving settler-aligned officials control over planning, land registration and infrastructure. Settlements receive state funding and legal protection, and West Bank land and tax systems are linked to Israeli administrative networks. These changes extend Israeli jurisdiction without any formal declaration.
This process did not begin with the current government. Working with the settler movement for decades, successive Israeli administrations have advanced settlement through cumulative administrative and planning decisions. On the ground, Israeli measures have reconfigured the West Bank for comprehensive Israeli control with minimal Palestinian presence.
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