Jerusalem: The Israeli Knesset has moved forward with two significant pieces of legislation aimed at annexing territories in the West Bank. In a preliminary reading, the bill proposing the annexation of the West Bank, introduced by Avi Maoz, head of the Noam party, gained approval. A separate bill to annex the settlement of Ma’ale Adumim, introduced by Avigdor Lieberman of the Yisrael Beiteinu party, also advanced.
According to Palestine News and Information Agency – WAFA, the bill concerning the West Bank annexation received support from 25 Members of Knesset (MKs) while 24 opposed it. The Ma’ale Adumim annexation bill saw a larger margin, with 32 MKs in favor and nine against. The vote on the West Bank bill was conducted publicly, with names read aloud rather than using electronic voting. MKs from the Yesh Atid party, including leader Yair Lapid, voted against the West Bank annexation bill, aiming to ensure the passage of the Ma’ale Adumim annexation bill.
Notably absent from the vote were members of the Likud, Shas, and Kahol Lavan parties, while Degel HaTorah members voted against the West Bank annexation. Despite his party’s stance, Likud member Yuli Edelstein supported the West Bank bill, along with members from Yisrael Beiteinu, Religious Zionism, and Agudat Yisrael, including Yitzhak Goldknopf, Yisrael Eichler, and Yaakov Tesler.
The Arab parties and the Democratic Party collectively opposed the West Bank annexation bill. Additionally, some Yesh Atid members, who might have influenced the outcome, chose not to participate in the Knesset plenum.
In a related context, the Knesset had previously, in July 2025, approved a declaration for imposing “Israeli sovereignty” over the West Bank with a majority of 71 MKs, though it held no practical impact.