From the Liveblog of
Thursday, July 31, 2025
Top ministers Levin, Katz declare time now ripe to annex West Bank
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleSam Sokol is a former political correspondent at The Times of Israel. He was previously a reporter for the Jerusalem Post, Jewish Telegraphic Agency and Haaretz. He is the author of "Putin’s Hybrid War and the Jews"
Justice Minister Yariv Levin and Defense Minister Israel Katz say that the current moment represents an opportunity to annex the West Bank, claiming that the groundwork for the explosively controversial move has already been laid.
“Ministers Katz and Levin have been working for many years to implement Israeli sovereignty in Judea and Samaria,” their offices say in a joint statement, using a biblical term for the West Bank. “At this very moment, there is a moment of opportunity that must not be missed.”
The statement does not specify the basis for the idea that now represents a unique opportunity for the move, which would likely ignite worldwide anger and further isolate Israel diplomatically and and economically. It comes after a wave of Western countries have announced plans to recognize a Palestinian state in the territory.
The statement is issued in response to a Channel 14 article claiming that neither Katz nor Levin had issued instructions to prepare for annexation, which the statement terms “false,” pointing to work done by the two, including as part of US President Donald Trump’s defunct 2020 Deal of the Century.
“This was expressed, among other things, in the work done by Minister Levin during President Trump’s first term, in which all the necessary things were prepared for the important move – from a proposal for resolutions to precise maps, and Defense Minister Katz led a series of unprecedented decisions to strengthen settlement and pave the way for Israeli sovereignty in Judea and Samaria,” the statement reads.
The Times of Israel Community.