South Africa has condemned Israel’s plan to annex part of the occupied West Bank.
South Africa condemns Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s statement declaring 2025 as the “year of annexation” for the occupied West Bank.
The announcement by the Department of International Relations and Cooperation on Wednesday followed Smotrich’s call to prepare for the annexation of settlements on territories occupied by Israel.
The department stressed the need for a firm international response against Israel’s settlement expansion and provocative policies in Palestinian territories.
Israel’s public broadcaster KAN reported on Tuesday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu plans to bring West Bank annexation back on his government’s agenda when U.S. President-elect Donald Trump assumes office in January.
Thirty percent of the West Bank
In 2020, Netanyahu planned to annex illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank and the Jordan Valley based on the Middle East peace plan unveiled by Trump in January of that year.
The areas Netanyahu intended to annex at the time represented approximately 30% of the West Bank.
However, the plan did not materialize due to international pressure and lack of U.S. approval.
International law regards both the West Bank and East Jerusalem as “occupied territories” and deems all Israeli settlement construction activities in these areas illegal.
