Israeli minister calls for West Bank annexation, scrapping Oslo Accords

The next Israeli government will seek to encourage the emigration of Palestinians, scrap the Oslo Accords and advance the annexation of the occupied West Bank, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said.

Addressing a conference of illegal settlers in the West Bank Tuesday night, Smotrich, leader of the far-right Religious Zionism party, said one of his goals in the next government would be to "encourage the emigration of Palestinians from the West Bank and the Gaza Strip," describing it as "a long-term solution to the conflict."

Smotrich said he seeks to "cancel the Oslo Accords" with the Palestinian Authority and push forward with steps to impose what he called "Israeli sovereignty" over the West Bank.

Palestinians are grappling with the aftermath of Israel's two-year genocidal war in Gaza, as well as ongoing Israeli assaults and illegal settler violence in the occupied West Bank.

Since the start of the Gaza war in October 2023, Israeli forces and illegal settlers have intensified operations in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, involving killings, arrests, demolitions, displacement and settlement expansion.

Palestinians warn that such actions pave the way for formal annexation of the occupied territory, effectively ending prospects for a Palestinian state envisioned in UN resolutions.

"The next government would be required to dismantle the idea of a Palestinian state and change the current political and security reality in the West Bank," Smotrich said.

Unless early polls are called, Israel is scheduled to hold its next parliamentary elections by October.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who heads the current government, has been wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) since 2024 over war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Smotrich also said he aims to extend what he called the "settlement revolution" to the Negev in southern Israel and the Galilee in the north, saying it is "necessary to strengthen the Jewish population presence there."

The international community and the UN do not recognize Israel's occupation of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, since 1967, and consider settlements there illegal under international law.

Smotrich criticized Israel's left-wing camp, claiming that its return to power would perpetuate what he described as "deep state" control and "harm Jewish identity, settlement activity and security."

He linked the coming political phase in Israel to the remaining term of US President Donald Trump, who began a four-year term in January 2025, calling it a "window of opportunity" to enact sea changes, including "dismantling the Palestinian Authority and disarming the West Bank."

Of the 193 UN member states, 160 recognize the State of Palestine. The US, Israel's staunchest backer, has used its veto power at the UN Security Council to block full Palestinian membership.

Israel was established in 1948 on land seized by Zionist armed gangs, leading to the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians. It later occupied the remaining Palestinian territories and has rejected calls to withdraw and allow the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.