The Jordan Valley, which makes up 30% of the occupied West Bank, is the subject of a bill by Danny Danon that aims to enforce Israeli law there.
The Jordan Valley, which makes up about 30% of the occupied West Bank, is going to be annexed, an Israeli lawmaker in the ruling coalition stated earlier this week.
According to the Jewish News website on Wednesday, Danny Danon’s bill would achieve “full application of Israeli law to all areas of the Jordan Valley,” including industrial and archaeological sites as well as major roads. Danny Danon previously held the position of Israel’s ambassador to the UN.
“The Jordan Valley’s annexation is a significant issue for Israel from a historical, economic, and most importantly, a security perspective. We are aware that there is opposition to applying Israel’s sovereignty over the Jordan Valley, as well as support for it within the coalition that forms the government,” Danon said.
“I’m hopeful that a lot of MKs from both parties will express support. There has never been a better time to exercise sovereignty, and we must immediately unite to do so.”
When the bill would be presented to the Knesset or Israeli parliament was unknown.
Danon is a member of the Likud party, which is led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. In December, the Likud party formed what many people believe to be the most right-wing government in Israeli history. Some of the ministers in the government live in illegal West Bank settlements.
Netanyahu pledged to “promote and develop settlement” in the West Bank, Galilee, and Negev in the new government’s policy guidelines.
He stated that the “Jewish people have an exclusive and unquestionable right to all areas of the land of Israel,” which included East Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank.
In direct contravention of international law, more than 250 settlements and outposts in the West Bank and East Jerusalem are home to nearly 700,000 settlers.
In the summer of 2020, Netanyahu tried to annex the Jordan Valley. However, Jordan and the Palestinian Authority (PA) and pressure from western nations forced him to change his mind.
The Jordan Valley, which is full of minerals, water, and arable land, is something the Palestinians think will be part of their future state. Any possibility of a two-state solution is seen as severely damaged by Israel’s annexation of the region.
Clashes in the West Bank
During raids in the occupied West Bank on Thursday evening, the Israeli military shot and killed two Palestinians, injuring at least three others. Habib Kamil, 25, and Abdel Hadi Nazal, 18, were identified as the deceased by the Palestinian health ministry. Qabatiya, a village south of Jenin, was the target of an Israeli military raid.
According to the health ministry, Nazal was shot in the neck and chest, and Kamil was killed by multiple headshots. According to the Israeli military, its troops entered Qabatiya to detain Muhammad Alauna, a Palestinian who is thought to be planning attacks.
During the raids, it is unclear what Nazal and Kamil were doing.
