Draft bill paves way for annexation of West Bank

Israel’s Likud Party, headed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has proposed a basic law with constitutional status which, if passed by the Knesset, would lead to the annexation of the West Bank in defiance of international law.

Israeli sources noted that the draft bill is an amendment to the basic law and it states that Israel is “the State of the Jewish People” and its Jewish character takes precedence over its democratic character. The bill also seeks to define the status of the occupied West Bank and Israeli settlers.

Radio reports claim that the ruling coalition chairman, Yariv Levin, will propose the draft law in the Knesset this week.

In a related context, it has been revealed that Israeli settlements have swamped another 2,000 acres of Palestinian land which were annexed in 2012 by order of the Israeli army.