Is an Israeli annexation of the West Bank on the cards?

The lockdown across the globe has made many acknowledge the difficult conditions imposed by states to arrest the spread of the outbreak. However, these restrictions have been imposed by legitimate governments which have the mandate to do so. While some critics have called these lockdown prisons compelling people to live under severe restrictions; it is disappointing to notice that even such conditions could not prompt people to question the rationale behind two of the biggest prisons in the world; Palestine and Indian occupied Kashmir. The people of Palestine have been condemned to live a life of poverty, misery, and suffering caused by the brutal repression perpetrated by the Zionist state. For years, the helpless Palestinians have been living in localities with barricaded roads, walled regions, and militarised zones.

Israeli political parties thrive on this oppression, promising more injustices against the Palestinians to boost their support among their voters. And this is what the right-wing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other ultra-Jewish nationalist parties did during their election campaign. Now, the Jewish prime minister, who swore in a new unity government, asserts that he will implement his nefarious designs by planning to annex parts of the West Bank. In the past, he had also expressed his desire to annex the strategic Jordan Valley. Netanyahu now seems to have a dogged determination to implement his annexation plan despite warnings by the United nations (UN).

The plan has triggered outrage, with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas announcing to end all agreements in light of Israel’s planned annexation. Many countries have denounced the planned annexation of the West Bank but it seems that the world does not want to go beyond some mild criticism of the Jewish state. This was obvious when United States (US) Secretary of State Mike Pompeo visited the Jewish state just before Netanyahu’s inauguration, advising the hawkish prime minister to consider all factors involved in making the annexation of the West Bank.

The US in general, and President Donald Trump in particular, are staunch supporters of Israel. Washington was the first to recognise its new capital by moving its embassy to Jerusalem, while Trump previously threw support behind Tel Aviv by declaring in the past that he did not consider the settlements illegal. Such statements speak volumes about the contempt that the Republican president has for international laws and diplomatic norms. Therefore, it seems that the US government also believes that the International Court of Justice is biased towards the Israeli government and hence denies the fourth Geneva Convention.

In Netanyahu’s first speech after taking charge as prime minister, he stated, “these territories are where the Jewish nation was born and grew”. Historically speaking, the argument is correct that this is where the Jewish nation was born and grew, but many historians assert that the geography of the world has changed over the years. The current settlers are not those Jews who were born or raised in the land of Israel since many settlers have roots in various other parts of the world and ancestors who converted to Judaism.

Prominent Jewish figure Dani Dayan, who has served as the chairperson of the Yesha Council, said in an interview that one could not murder his father and then claim the benefits of being an orphan. He was referring to Palestinians’ rejection of the partition plan of 1947. For many Palestinians, it is ironic that a person born in Argentina, or any other part of the world, can claim Palestinian territory yet they, despite being sons and daughters of the soil, cannot make a similar claim.

The defenders of the settlements argue that opposition to Zionism amounts to anti-Semitism. This argument is used to manipulate people so that they don’t oppose the political ideology of Zionism and believe that it is part of Judaism. But it is not only the Palestinians or the Arabs who are opposed to the Zionist agenda but many conscientious Jews have also opposed the creation of Israel on the occupied Palestinian lands captured through force and intimidation. Such an occupation cannot last long based on military might alone. The recent annexation plan will further fuel hatred against Israel in the Muslim world, creating problems for the two-state solution that was hammered out by the US and other stake-holders.

The lives of those Palestinians who live near these settlements are brutal. The occupied forces do not even spare Palestinian children. According to several reports, Israel Defence Forces (IDF) soldiers arrest children in night-time raids from their homes and take them to an unknown place for investigation where they are brutally tortured. According to the Defence for Children International Palestine (DCIP), Israel detains around 500 to 700 Palestinian children each year, with many being prosecuted in military courts. The detention has increased during Covid-19 and around 194 children had been detained by the end of March. The majority of them were detained for merely throwing stones, and children detained under administrative detention orders are never presented with specific charges or evidence.

If the US turns a blind eye towards the annexation plan of Israel and other atrocities of the Jewish state, then Beijing and Moscow should step in by seeking the collaboration of the European Union (EU) and coming up with a plan to halt this possible annexation that is likely to fuel unrest in the occupied Palestinian territories, and the Muslim world as well. It will also strengthen the position of Muslim extremist groups that will not only propagate hate against Tel Aviv but the Western world too.