Israeli MPs give initial nod to annex West Bank

JERUSALEM:

Israeli lawmakers on Wednesday voted in favour of advancing two bills on annexing the occupied West Bank, an ambition openly promoted by far-right ministers in recent months.

The vote came with US Vice President JD Vance visiting Israel to shore up a Gaza ceasefire brokered by President Donald Trump, who has made clear he would not back annexation of the West Bank.

"I will not allow Israel to annex the West Bank," Trump told reporters at the White House in September. "It's not going to happen."

Israeli media reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had called on MPs from his Likud party to abstain from voting.

In a statement, Likud called the votes "another provocation by the opposition aimed at damaging our relations with the United States".

"True sovereignty will be achieved not through a showy law for the record, but through proper work on the ground," it added.

During a preliminary reading on Wednesday, lawmakers voted in favour of examining two bills.