In a biting condemnation, the Palestinian Foreign Ministry has criticized a recent move by Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, to push forward a bill to officially substitute the term “West Bank” with “Judea and Samaria.” The ministry labelled the move a dangerous escalation and a clear move toward annexing the occupied territory, further complicating the chances of a peaceful end to the decades-old conflict.
The bill, passed by the Knesset’s Committee for Legislation, aims to officially enshrine the use of the biblical name “Judea and Samaria” in all official Israeli communications and documents. While the term is of historical and religious importance to some, Palestinians consider it a deliberate move to erase their ties to the land and justify Israeli domination over the occupied West Bank.
In a sharply worded statement, the Palestinian Foreign Ministry condemned the action, terming it “a dangerous escalation of Israel’s illegal unilateral actions.” The ministry cautioned that the bill opens the door to full annexation of the West Bank, the imposition of Israeli law through force, and the systematic undermining of attempts to create a Palestinian state.
“This legislation, along with other occupation measures, does not create any legitimate right for Israel over the land of the State of Palestine,” the statement read. “It is null and void, illegal, and a blatant violation of international law and U.N. resolutions, posing a direct threat to regional and global security and stability.”
Palestinian Concerns
The ministry’s statement reflects growing Palestinian concerns over Israel’s continued expansion of settlements and its efforts to solidify control over the West Bank. Since 1967, Israel has occupied the territory, which is home to nearly three million Palestinians and is considered a key part of any future Palestinian state. But increasing the Israeli government’s steps to exercise authority over the area is also passed through legislative measures, like the most recent bill.
It is not new to Israeli political discourse, by any stretch. For years now, right-wing politicians and religious groups have batted about that phrase in order to bring attention to the historical and biblical ties of the Jewish people to the region. Critics, however, say that the fact of its full-scale adoption in documents means an absolute policy turnaround, that is, from the viewpoint of Israel, it is intending to go for outright annexation of the West Bank.
The condemning of the Palestinian Foreign Ministry comes at a time when there are heightened tensions in the region. In the last year, violence in the West Bank has increased, sometimes taking the form of clashes between the Israeli Defense Forces and Palestinian militants, and intensified construction activities within settlements. It is much criticized internationally, being regarded as very major obstacles to peace in international relations.
Multiple United Nations member states and Israeli allies have continuously supported the position that West Bank constitutes occupied land since they require negotiations between the parties to change its status. The Palestinian Authority functionally controls elements in the West Bank and demands two independent states which would use the lines that existed during the 1967 conflict and have East Jerusalem serve as the new Palestinian capital.
The recent Knesset-approved legislative measure has sparked concerns that Israel continues moving away from achieving a negotiated peace agreement. Israel’s attempt to use renaming the Palestinian land area demonstrates its purpose to control the West Bank territory while altering how specific areas are presented to the public.
Through its official statement the Palestinian Foreign Ministry highlighted multiple risks arising from this bill including increased regional instability together with deterioration in international efforts to achieve resolution of the conflict. “This is not just a matter of semantics,” the statement said. “It is a deliberate attempt to erase Palestinian identity and history, to legitimize the occupation, and to deny the Palestinian people their right to self-determination.”
The ministry called on the international community to take immediate action to hold Israel accountable for its actions. Such obvious disregard of international law demands a response; the statement said. The international community now needs to act firmly to preserve the chance of a just and lasting peace and protect the rights of the Palestinian people.
The bill’s effects for the area are not clear as it progresses the Knesset. Clear, however, is that the Palestinian leadership sees it as a major obstacle on their path to statehood and a peaceful end to the war. The way in which the world reacts to this most recent development will probably have a lot of influence on the future of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
