Jerusalem: Fourteen ministers from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud Party have urged the premier to immediately annex the occupied West Bank. The call was made in a letter addressed to Netanyahu, which was shared by far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich on X. The ministers emphasized the need to "apply sovereignty over Judea and Samaria (West Bank) before the end of the Knesset summer session," which is set to conclude on July 27.

According to Anadolu Agency, the ministers argued that the current "strategic partnership and backing and support of the US and President Donald Trump create a favorable time to lead this move (annexation) now." The letter also cautioned that recognizing settlement blocs while establishing a Palestinian state on the remaining land poses an "existential threat to Israel."

The signatories include ministers of defense, economy, agriculture, energy, communications, transportation, justice, tourism, innovation, culture, diaspora affairs, education, social equality, regional cooperation, and Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana. The Palestinian Authority has consistently maintained that the West Bank is an integral part of a future Palestinian state and warned that any annexation would signify the collapse of the two-state solution.

Israel has occupied the West Bank since the 1967 Middle East War. Since October 2023, Israel has accelerated its settlement activities in the occupied territory. Palestinian figures reveal that at least 988 Palestinians have been killed and more than 7,000 injured in the West Bank by Israeli forces and illegal settlers since October 2023.

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) declared Israel's occupation of Palestinian territory illegal last July and called for the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.