Israel’s parliament gave initial approval on Wednesday to a bill that would apply Israeli law to the occupied West Bank — a move widely seen as a step toward annexation of land Palestinians seek for a future state.

The measure, which passed by a narrow 25-24 vote, marks the first of four approvals required before becoming law. A second bill, proposing the formal annexation of the Maale Adumim settlement near Jerusalem, also passed in a separate 31-9 vote.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party did not back the legislation, which was introduced by lawmakers outside his coalition. However, members from far-right factions within his government — including National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir’s Jewish Power party and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s Religious Zionism faction — supported the motion.

The vote coincided with a visit to Israel by U.S. Vice President JD Vance, one month after President Donald Trump said he would not permit Israel to annex the West Bank. Despite the opposition from Washington, proponents of the bill argue that Israel has historic and biblical claims to the territory, which it captured during the 1967 war.

The United Nations and most of the international community, however, consider the West Bank to be occupied territory. In 2024, the U.N.’s highest court ruled that Israel’s presence and settlements there were illegal and should be withdrawn “as soon as possible.”

Palestinian and Regional Reaction

The Palestinian foreign ministry condemned the vote, asserting that Israel has “no sovereignty over Palestinian land.” It described the West Bank, including Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip, as a “single geographical unit” under occupation.

As reported in Reuters, militant group Hamas also denounced the move, calling it “the ugly face of the colonial occupation.” In a statement, the group said Israel’s attempts to annex West Bank lands were “invalid and illegitimate.”

The proposed annexation has also raised concern among Arab nations that normalized relations with Israel under the U.S.-brokered Abraham Accords. The United Arab Emirates — the most prominent Arab country to sign the accords — warned last month that annexation of the West Bank would cross a “red line.”

Senior Emirati official Anwar Gargash, speaking at the Reuters NEXT Gulf Summit in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday, said maximalist positions on the Palestinian issue were “no longer valid,” underscoring the region’s delicate balancing act between diplomacy and principle.

While the bill faces a lengthy legislative process and uncertain political backing, its preliminary passage highlights the deep divisions within Israel’s ruling coalition and the enduring volatility of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.