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Annexing the West Bank: why Israel might pounce now
RAMZY BAROUD explains that with the world already unable or unwilling to confront Israel’s murderous devastation of Gaza, it is likely to seize the opportunity to annex the larger but equally vulnerable West Bank territory
The Israeli settlement of Har Homa, seen from the West Bank city of Bethlehem, December 17, 2024

ISRAEL is getting ready to annex the occupied Palestinian West Bank. The annexation will be a major step backwards on the road to Palestinian freedom and will likely serve as a catalyst for a new Palestinian uprising.

Though annexation has been on the Israeli agenda for years, this time around, a “great opportunity” — in the words of extremist Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich — has presented itself and, from an Israeli point of view, cannot be missed.

“I hope we’ll have a great opportunity with the new US administration to create full normalisation [of the Israeli occupation],” the minister was quoted as saying by Israeli media.

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