US State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel condemns far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s pledge to annex large parts of the West Bank following Donald Trump’s presidential election victory last week. “The comments that were made by this ...

The United States has for decades backed a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians and has urged Israel not to expand settlements.

Israeli far-right minister and long-time supporter of Israeli settlements Bezalel Smotrich said on Monday that he had ordered preparations for an Israeli annexation of the occupied West Bank.

Comments Monday by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich were the strongest display yet of how Trump’s election has emboldened Israeli hard-liners.

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said on Monday that 2025 would be the year to fully annex the West Bank.

Israel’s far-right minister of finance said that Donald Trump’s presidential election win means the “ time has come ” to annex the West Bank.

Israel's far-right finance minister said on Monday he hoped Israel would extend sovereignty into the occupied West Bank in 2025 and that he would push the government to engage the incoming Trump administration to gain Washington's support.

UK condemns Israel’s Smotrich over West Bank annexation comments - Middle East minister Hamish Falconer said the annexation of the West Bank would be illegal and undermine any prospects for peace.

Israel’s far-right finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, has ordered preparations for the annexation of settlements in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.