This comes despite US President Donald Trump's announcement on September 26 that he would not allow Israel to annex the occupied West Bank, amidst Vice President J.D. Vance's visit to Tel Aviv this week.
The two bills must undergo three additional readings before becoming law. If Israel annexes the West Bank, this would mean the end of the possibility of implementing the principle of a two-state solution (Palestinian and Israeli), as stipulated in United Nations resolutions.
The Knesset said on its website: "The preliminary reading of the bill to apply the sovereignty of the State of Israel (annexation) to the territories of Judea and Samaria (the West Bank) was approved." It explained that 25 members of parliament (out of the 120 members of the Knesset) supported the bill, which was submitted by the leader of the right-wing Noam party, Avi Maoz, while 24 members opposed it.
According to the official Israeli Broadcasting Corporation, the vote in favor of the bill by Likud MK Yuli Edelstein secured its passage, after he voted against the directives of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the party's leader. The corporation stated that "the bill was introduced despite the prime minister's request that members of the coalition (the ruling parliament) not participate in the vote, and despite the public American rejection of the move."
"Likud abstained from voting, in compliance with Netanyahu's directive. Coalition leader Ofir Katz stated that the sovereignty issue cannot be managed through opposition legislation, particularly given that Israel is working in coordination with the United States to achieve the war's objectives, most notably dismantling Hamas and demilitarizing Gaza," according to the committee.
The commission continued: "Despite this, the Jewish Power parties, led by (National Security Minister Itamar) Ben-Gvir, Religious Zionism, led by (Finance Minister Bezalel) Smotrich, and Agudat Yisrael, led by Yitzhak Goldknopf, announced their support for the bill, leading to its passage."
Regarding the Ma'ale Adumim settlement, Yedioth Ahronoth reported that the bill submitted by Yisrael Beiteinu party leader Avigdor Lieberman to annex the settlement passed its preliminary reading with 32 members in favor and 9 opposed.
Ma'ale Adumim is located east of occupied Jerusalem and is one of the largest settlements in the occupied West Bank. Its annexation would isolate East Jerusalem from its eastern Palestinian surroundings and divide the West Bank into two parts.
The Palestinians cling to East Jerusalem as the capital of their desired state, based on international legitimacy resolutions that do not recognize Israel's occupation of the city in 1967, nor its annexation in 1980.
Palestine condemns
In contrast, the Palestinian Authority rejected Israel's attempts to impose its sovereignty over the occupied West Bank, emphasizing "the sovereignty of the Palestinian people over their land."
The Palestinian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that it "rejects and condemns in the strongest terms the attempts by the Israeli occupation's Knesset to annex Palestinian land through its approval today of what it calls the imposition of Israeli sovereignty." It added that "the occupied Palestinian territory in the West Bank, including Jerusalem and Gaza, is a single geographical unit, and Israel has no sovereignty over it."
Hamas movement
For its part, Hamas asserted that the Israeli Knesset's approval of two bills to annex the occupied West Bank and the Ma'ale Adumim settlement east of occupied Jerusalem is "null and void," and will not change the fact that the West Bank is Palestinian territory according to history and law.
In a statement, it said, "The Knesset's vote on two bills to annex the West Bank and impose sovereignty over the so-called Ma'ale Adumim settlement, in preliminary reading, reflects the ugly face of the colonial occupation."
Hamas affirmed that "the occupation's frantic attempts to annex West Bank lands are invalid and illegitimate, and will not change the fact that the West Bank is Palestinian territory under history, international law, and the Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice issued in 2024."
Jordan
The Jordanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs considered the Israeli Knesset's approval of two bills to annex the occupied West Bank and the Ma'ale Adumim settlement east of occupied Jerusalem a flagrant violation of international law and a dangerous escalation that undermines the two-state solution.
Jordanian Foreign Ministry spokesman Fuad Majali said in a statement, "The Kingdom condemns in the strongest terms the Israeli Knesset's approval of the preliminary reading of two draft laws, one of which aims to impose Israeli sovereignty over the occupied West Bank, while the other aims to legitimize Israeli sovereignty over an illegal colonial settlement.Qatar
For its part, Qatar condemned in the strongest terms the Israeli Knesset's approval of two bills aimed at imposing Israeli sovereignty over the occupied West Bank and a settlement, considering it a "flagrant violation of international law and international legitimacy resolutions."
The Qatari Foreign Ministry said in a statement, "The State of Qatar condemns in the strongest terms the Israeli Knesset's approval of the preliminary reading of two bills aimed at imposing Israeli sovereignty over the occupied West Bank and one of the settlements."
Qatar called on "the international community, particularly the Security Council, to assume its legal and moral responsibilities and take urgent action to compel the Israeli occupation authorities to halt their settlement expansion plans in the occupied Palestinian territories."
Israel's moves to annex the occupied West Bank have escalated in parallel with a genocidal war waged, with US support, on the Gaza Strip for two years, beginning on October 7, 2023.
This genocide left 68,234 Palestinian martyrs and 170,373 injured, most of them children and women, and destroyed 90% of civilian infrastructure.
For decades, Israel has occupied Palestine and territories in Syria and Lebanon, and refuses to withdraw from these territories and establish an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, based on the pre-1967 borders.