Jerusalem: The Israeli Knesset has passed a preliminary reading of a bill aimed at annexing parts of the occupied West Bank, a significant step in applying Israeli sovereignty over the territories referred to as Judea and Samaria. The bill, introduced by Avi Maoz of the far-right Noam Party, received support from 25 lawmakers, while 24 opposed it. The Knesset, which consists of 120 members, will now forward the bill to the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee for further discussion before it undergoes three additional readings required to become law.
According to Anadolu Agency, the proposed legislation seeks to extend Israeli jurisdiction to the disputed regions, a move that has sparked international debate and condemnation. The Turkish Foreign Ministry has already declared the annexation step as contrary to international law and described it as "null and void."
In other developments, the International Court of Justice has ruled that Israel must permit and support aid efforts conducted by third states and humanitarian groups like the International Committee of the Red Cross and the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, to guarantee sufficient aid reaches Gaza. The court emphasized Israel's obligation under the Geneva Convention to meet the basic needs of the local population as an occupying power.
The United States has imposed new sanctions targeting Russia's top oil companies, Rosneft and Lukoil, amidst the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. The US Treasury Department stated that these sanctions are intended to weaken Russia's ability to finance its military operations and to push for an immediate ceasefire. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent highlighted the importance of halting the violence and urged for a peaceful resolution.
In other noteworthy news, OpenAI has launched a new AI-powered web browser called ChatGPT Atlas, expanding its product line beyond the popular ChatGPT platform. The browser is initially available on Apple's macOS system, with plans to release it on Windows, iOS, and Android platforms soon.