The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates has issued a stark warning against Israel’s controversial "Greater Jerusalem" project, which aims to annex large parts of the occupied West Bank. In a statement released on Sunday evening, the ministry condemned discussions by the so-called Israeli Ministerial Committee for Legislation regarding land seizures in the West Bank as part of the plan, which is set to be presented for approval by the Knesset (Israeli parliament).

The ministry described the move as a major crime aimed at advancing Tel Aviv’s annexation policies, forcibly displacing Palestinian residents, and destroying the foundations of life in the occupied West Bank. It warned that the plan undermines any prospects for the establishment of a sovereign and independent Palestinian state. The statement called for serious international action to prevent the implementation of the project, emphasizing its devastating impact on the chances of resolving the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict through peaceful means.

According to American investigative journalist Seymour Hersh, citing a Washington official, Israel is poised to formally annex the West Bank, which it has illegally occupied since 1967. This follows recent calls by far-right Israeli Minister Bezalel Smotrich for the complete annexation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Smotrich, known for his inflammatory rhetoric, has repeatedly advocated for expanding Israeli settlements in the occupied territories.

Mahmoud Mardawi, a senior official in the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas, also warned against Israel’s plans to annex the West Bank and expel Palestinians from their villages. Since launching its genocidal war on Gaza on 7 October 2023, Israel has intensified its aggression against Palestinians in the West Bank, resulting in hundreds of deaths and thousands of injuries at the hands of Israeli settlers and troops.

Over 700,000 Israelis currently live in more than 230 settlements built since Israel’s occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem in 1967. The international community considers these settlements illegal under international law and the Geneva Conventions, as they are constructed on occupied Palestinian land.

The Palestinian ministry urged global intervention to hold Israel accountable and prevent further annexation, which it said would exacerbate tensions and render a two-state solution impossible.