Far-right minister calls for Israeli sovereignty in West Bank in 2025

JERUSALEM: 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.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who also wields a defence ministry supervisory role for settlers as part of his coalition deal with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said he hoped the Trump administration would recognise an Israeli sovereignty push.

Israel’s foreign minister said separately that while no decision was made, the issue could come up in talks with the future US administration in Washington. Nabil Abu Rudeineh, the spokesperson for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, said Smotrich’s remarks confirmed the Israeli government’s intention to annex the West Bank in defiance of international law.

“We hold the Israeli occupation authorities fully responsible for the repercussions of these dangerous policies,” he said. The United States was also responsible for the continuous support it offered to Israel’s aggression, he said.

Smotrich has for years called for Israeli sovereignty in the West Bank, land Palestinians want for a future state. He also said he would push the government to engage the incoming Trump administration to recognise such a move.