Israeli officials have lashed out after several countries on Sunday announced their recognition of a Palestinian state, with more nations set to follow suit this week, as Israeli right-wingers make moves to annex the occupied West Bank.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has, in response, urged the rapid expansion of settlements in the occupied West Bank, a move that has garnered widespread international criticism.
The UK, Portugal, Australia, and Canada have already announced their decision to recognise a Palestinian state, while France is set to do so shortly, in a significant move.
It comes amid Israel’s brutal war on Gaza, which has been determined to be a genocide, has killed over 65,000 Palestinians, and triggered a dire humanitarian catastrophe. The war has also caused a famine, with over 400 Palestinians dying of starvation as Israel obstructs aid from entering the besieged enclave.
However, Israel has responded with fury, with Netanyahu claiming on Sunday that there would be "no Palestinian state," and accusing the nations of rewarding Hamas.
He also said that he would deliver Israel’s official response to the recognition of Palestine after he comes back from his meeting with US President Donald Trump in the US next week.
Israeli politicians have expressed eagerness to annex the West Bank, but Tel Aviv is reportedly looking for US support before making the move, which would likely have dire consequences for Israel on the global stage.
According to reports, Israel’s foreign minister and strategic affairs minister have previously said that Israel would respond to the recognition by annexing Area C of the West Bank, equating to around 60 percent of the area.
Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer also mentioned annexing parts of the Jordan Valley, something which caused uproar among Palestinians and Amman.
Another option, Israeli officials said, would be a limited annexation of settlements close to the Green Line, an area that separates Israel and the West Bank.
Israeli officials also weighed in, with the far-right extremist Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, an illegal settler himself, calling on Israel to urgently annex parts of the West Bank in response.
"The days when the UK and other countries determined our future are over," Smotrich said in a statement. "The British mandate [over Palestine] has ended."
Another far-right extremist politician, Itamar Ben-Gvir, also demanded the "complete dismantling" of the Palestinian Authority.
Nir Barakat, the Israeli economy minister, stated on X: "Our real answer should be to dissolve the Palestinian Authority, apply sovereignty to Judea and Samaria, and recognise local leadership like the Emirate of Hebron that wants to join the Abraham Accords."
According to Haaretz, Israel is also mulling potential sanctions being placed on countries that recognise a Palestinian state, which could include revoking entry permits into Ramallah for diplomats and the closure of the countries’ consulates in Jerusalem.
The latest developments come as Trump is planning on meeting with several Arab and Muslim leaders on the sidelines of the UNGA in New York on Tuesday.
According to officials with knowledge of the planned meetings, the conversations will centre around the war on Gaza and comes days before Trump will host Netanyahu in the White House.
Leaders from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Egypt, Turkey, and Jordan have all been invited to participate in the talks.
Arab leaders are expected to call on Trump to pressure Netanyahu into ending the war on Gaza, and stop Netanyahu from annexing parts of the West Bank, Axios reported.
On the same day, Trump will meet separately with leaders from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, and Kuwait, who are expected to urge the US president to give them assurances that Israel’s attack on Doha will not happen again.