Gaza, MINA – The Hamas Movement on Wednesday strongly condemned the Israeli Knesset’s preliminary approval of two draft laws, one to annex the occupied West Bank and another to impose Israeli sovereignty over the Ma’ale Adumim settlement, saying the move “exposes the ugly colonial face of the Israeli occupation.”
In a press statement, Hamas accused Israel of attempting to “legitimize settlement expansion and impose sovereignty over occupied Palestinian territories” in blatant violation of international law and UN resolutions. The group emphasized that any Israeli efforts to annex the West Bank are “null and void” and do not change the fact that the land “is historically and legally Palestinian,” as reaffirmed by the International Court of Justice’s 2024 advisory opinion declaring Israel’s occupation illegal.
Hamas held Israel fully responsible for the consequences of what it described as “illegal laws,” urging the United Nations, the Arab League, and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to condemn the move and take concrete action to hold Israeli leaders accountable for crimes against the Palestinian people.
Earlier in the day, the Knesset approved in preliminary readings two controversial bills to apply “Israeli sovereignty” over the occupied West Bank and the Ma’ale Adumim settlement bloc. The first bill, proposed by Avi Maoz of the far-right Noam Party, calls for annexing the entire West Bank, while the second, introduced by Avigdor Lieberman of Yisrael Beiteinu, specifically targets Ma’ale Adumim.
Also Read: Israeli Knesset Approves Preliminary Bill to Annex Occupied West Bank
Lieberman’s bill passed with 32 votes in favor and nine against, while the broader West Bank annexation bill received 25 votes in favor and 24 against. Several lawmakers from Likud, Shas, and Kahol Lavan were absent from the vote, while members of United Torah Judaism opposed the proposal. Notably, Likud MK Yuli Edelstein broke ranks with his party to support the annexation bill.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had reportedly sought to delay the legislation amid growing international backlash, but Maoz refused to withdraw his proposal. The bills will now proceed to the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee for further discussion before moving to additional readings.
The move marks a significant escalation in Israel’s annexation agenda, deepening its occupation of Palestinian territories in defiance of international law and long-standing UN resolutions. In July 2023, the Knesset had already adopted a symbolic declaration in favor of applying Israeli sovereignty to the West Bank, though it carried no legal weight at the time.[]
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
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