Israel’s Knesset has taken a significant step toward annexing the occupied West Bank, passing a preliminary reading of a contentious bill with a narrow margin of 25 votes in favor to 24 against. The proposed legislation, introduced by Avi Maoz of the far-right Noam party, seeks to extend Israeli sovereignty over settlement areas in the region, referred to in the bill as ‘Judea and Samaria.’ The bill must undergo three additional votes before becoming law. Concurrently, Avigdor Lieberman of the Yisrael Beiteinu party proposed a separate bill to annex the Maale Adumim settlement near Jerusalem, which also passed. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party criticized the move, labeling it as an attempt to undermine the government during US Vice President JD Vance’s visit. Likud dismissed the bill as ‘trolling’ aimed at damaging US-Israel relations and Israel’s achievements in Gaza. The party emphasized that true sovereignty is achieved through practical actions, not symbolic laws. Meanwhile, Israel’s finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, recently unveiled a controversial plan to annex the majority of the West Bank, leaving only six Palestinian enclaves outside Israeli control. Smotrich’s proposal includes dismantling the Palestinian Authority and replacing it with ‘regional civilian management alternatives.’ The plan has sparked widespread concern over its implications for regional stability and Palestinian rights.