JERUSALEM: A call by Israel's far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich to annex the occupied West Bank has drawn a wave of condemnations across the Arab world. On Monday, Smotrich said he instructed Israel's Settlement Division and Civil Administration to initiate the groundwork for infrastructure to 'apply sovereignty' in the West Bank. According to Anadolu Agency, the Qatari Foreign Ministry described the Israeli minister's call as a 'blatant violation of international law.' A ministry statement denounced the call as a 'dangerous escalation that would hinder the chances of peace in the region, especially with the ongoing brutal war on the Gaza Strip and its horrific repercussions.' The statement urged the international community 'to stand firmly against the occupation's settlement, colonial and racist policies, and its repeated attacks on the Palestinian rights, especially its ongoing crimes in the West Bank.' The Egyptian Foreign Ministry also criticized Smotrich's call, labeling it a 'flagrant violat ion of international law and international humanitarian law.' The ministry's statement highlighted that such remarks by a member of the Israeli government reflect Israel's rejection of peace efforts in the region. Jordan expressed its disapproval by calling the Israeli minister's call 'racist' and 'extremist.' It stressed that Smotrich's statements are a 'blatant violation of international law and the inalienable right of the Palestinian people to establish their independent state with sovereignty along the June 4, 1967 borders and its capital in occupied Jerusalem.' This June, Smotrich confirmed reports from The New York Times regarding his 'secret plan' to annex the West Bank and prevent its incorporation into a future Palestinian state. In July, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued a landmark opinion declaring Israel's occupation of Palestinian land 'illegal' and demanded the evacuation of all existing settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. According to the Israeli public broadcaste r KAN, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu plans to reintroduce the annexation of the West Bank to the agenda of his government when US President-elect Donald Trump takes office. In 2020, Netanyahu planned to "annex" the illegal Jewish settlements in the West Bank and the Jordan Valley, based on the so-called Middle East peace plan announced by Trump. However, his plan was not launched due to international pressure and lack of US approval. Territories Netanyahu planned to annex at that time constituted about 30% of the West Bank.