What life is like for Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank after a year of war in Gaza
CBSOct 11
Israeli Finance Minister Calls for West Bank Annexation During Trump Presidency
Above: Israeli forces, accompanied by bulldozers, raid and demolish a Palestinian house on the grounds that it was 'unlicensed' in Beit Ummar, Hebron, West Bank on Nov. 13, 2024. Image copyright: Mamoun Wazwaz/Contributor/Anadolu via Getty Images
The Facts
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who holds a supervisory role in Israel's Defense Ministry for West Bank settlers, said earlier this week that he hoped Israel would annex the West Bank in 2025 after Donald Trump assumes the US presidency.
Smotrich continued that he had instructed the Settlement Directorate of the Defense Ministry and the Civil Administration to begin preparing for annexation. Last month, Smotrich called for Israel to build settlements deep in Palestinian territory and to expel Palestinians "harboring nationalist aspirations."
The Spin
Left narrative
Smotrich's comments are disturbing and don't represent the official position of the Israeli or US governments. The only way to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is through a two-state solution in which Israel and a Palestinian state would peacefully coexist. Smotrich and politicians like him should be sidelined.
Right narrative
Hamas's Oct. 7 attack on Israel was the final nail in the coffin for the establishment of a Palestinian state. Since Israel withdrew from Gaza in 2005, the enclave has essentially existed as a terrorist-run proto-state, which is an existential threat to Israel's security. Settlement expansion and Israeli sovereignty are natural reactions to this reality.
Pro-Palestine narrative
Though the Israeli and Western media try to portray settlers as a fringe element of Israeli society, the state was founded on the basis of ethnic cleansing and land theft. Israeli leaders on the left and right have continued to approve settlement expansion, and Palestinian land has continued to recede since 1948. Indeed, Israel annexed the West Bank in all but name a long time ago, and Israeli politicians are increasingly open about Israel's intentions — the incremental destruction of Palestine.