The Push for Israeli Sovereignty Over the West Bank

Amid a record surge in Israeli settlement activity in the occupied West Bank, some settler advocates are calling on former U.S. President Donald Trump to support the annexation of the area. 

Since Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's return to power in 2022, leading a far-right coalition, the West Bank has seen a dramatic increase in both settlement expansion and settler violence, with many advocating for Israel to assert sovereignty over the region. This idea, once considered fringe, has gained traction in recent months, particularly among settlers with close ties to the U.S. Christian right, who see Trump's pro-Israel policies as a potential catalyst for Israeli annexation.

The momentum for annexation is driven in part by the support of key figures like Trump’s allies, including evangelical Christian Mike Huckabee, who rejects the term "occupation" and instead refers to Jewish settlements as "communities." Israeli government ministers, particularly those aligned with Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, have pushed for the formal annexation of the West Bank, claiming that Israeli sovereignty should be extended over the region. While Netanyahu's government has not yet made an official move, settler leaders like Israel Ganz of the Yesha Council hope that a Trump administration would allow Israel to absorb the West Bank as early as next year, solidifying Jewish control over the area.

However, this push for annexation presents significant diplomatic challenges. Trump’s primary foreign policy priority is expanding the Abraham Accords, the normalization agreements between Israel and several Arab nations, including the UAE and Bahrain. Saudi Arabia, a key player in the region, has made it clear that it will not consider normalizing relations with Israel if the country formally annexes the West Bank. This creates a difficult balancing act for Trump, who has long supported Israel's right to settle the West Bank but also seeks to build broader regional alliances. Former U.S. negotiator Dennis Ross warns that annexation could derail efforts to expand the Abraham Accords and further complicate the already volatile Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The expansion of settlements in the West Bank, which most of the international community considers illegal under international law, has been accelerating. In 2023, settlement construction reached record levels, with thousands of acres declared state land, making it easier for new settlements to be built. Additionally, the establishment of new settler outposts, often without formal government approval, has further entrenched Israeli presence in the area. For Palestinians, the rapid settlement expansion and the increasing violence from settlers, which has led to U.S. sanctions, signal the growing irreversibility of Israel’s control over the West Bank. As the situation becomes more entrenched, the prospect of a two-state solution appears increasingly unlikely, further fueling tensions in the region.