Israeli leaders are considering annexing parts of the occupied West Bank in response to the imminent recognition of Palestine by several Western countries, according to US, Israeli, and European officials who spoke to the American outlet Axios.
US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee told Axios that Washington had not yet adopted a position, saying: "I don’t know the scale of the planned annexation, and I’m not sure there is consensus within the Israeli government on where and how much to annex."
Israeli and European officials said Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer and Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar informed a number of European counterparts that Israel may annex parts of the West Bank if recognition of Palestine proceeds.
One European official said Dermer told Anne-Claire Legendre, French President Emmanuel Macron’s Middle East adviser, that Israel would annex all of Area C, which makes up 60 percent of the territory.
A senior Israeli official stressed that several options are under consideration, calling Dermer's comments to the French the most extreme. Another possibility would be annexing settlements and access roads, around 10 percent of the West Bank.
A third option discussed involves annexing settlements, roads, and the Jordan Valley, amounting to about 30 percent of the territory.
The Hebrew-language outlet Walla reported that Sa'ar told his US counterpart Marco Rubio that Tel Aviv is preparing to announce the imposition of sovereignty over the West Bank in the coming months.
Sources cited by Walla said official talks between the ministers in Washington last week publicly focused on Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, and Iran, while sovereignty over the West Bank was discussed behind closed doors.
According to the same sources, the Israeli government is united on moving ahead with annexation but divided on timing, with some seeing it as a reaction to recognition of Palestine and others viewing it as an independent ideological step.
The security and political cabinet has already started discussions, the sources said.
Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich on Sunday pressed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to move quickly.
Speaking in the settlement of Ofra, Smotrich declared that sovereignty "is not decided in Washington or the United Nations, but in Israel," and urged that it be imposed on "the entire territory" rather than limited areas, according to Walla as cited by Anadolu.
Australia, Canada, France, and Britain have announced plans to recognise Palestine during the UN General Assembly meetings later this month, joining nearly 150 countries that already have.
Israel and the US, both opposed to recognition, have sought to deter such moves by threatening punitive measures against the Palestinian Authority. Israeli officials claim the Trump administration will not oppose annexation due to its anger at states preparing to recognise Palestine.
The US State Department on Friday said it would deny visas to senior Palestinian officials seeking to attend the UN General Assembly and cancel visas already issued. A State Department official confirmed that President Mahmoud Abbas would be barred from visiting New York.
European officials warn that annexation will likely trigger sanctions from the EU and other Western governments. Arab officials have cautioned that Arab states may suspend or downgrade peace agreements with Israel if the move proceeds.
A ministerial meeting chaired by Netanyahu last week secretly discussed the matter, with the cabinet expected to revisit the issue shortly. Participants included Dermer, Sa'ar, Smotrich, National Security Council head Tzachi Hanegbi, and cabinet secretary Yossi Fuchs.