Germany condemns Israeli official’s call to annex West Bank

Germany's ambassador to Israel on Tuesday condemned calls by Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich to annex the occupied West Bank.

"The demand by Minister Smotrich to 'apply (Israeli) sovereignty' over the Westbank is an open call for annexation. Any preparation to implement this goal is in full breach of international law. We strongly condemn this announcement which threatens the stability of the entire region," Steffen Seibert wrote on X.

The far-right official, defying international law, declared that "the only way to remove the threat of a Palestinian state from the agenda is to apply Israeli sovereignty over the settlements in Judea and Samaria," using Biblical names for the West Bank.

Smotrich vowed that 2025 will be the year for Israeli sovereignty in the West Bank. He said he had instructed the Settlement Division and the Civil Administration, both under the Defense Ministry, to begin preparations for the necessary infrastructure to implement this policy.

Later, Smotrich wrote on X: "2025 - The year of sovereignty in Judea and Samaria."

In June, Smotrich confirmed reports from The New York Times that he had a "secret plan" to annex the West Bank and thwart any efforts to incorporate it into a future Palestinian state.

According to Israeli estimates, more than 720,000 illegal settlers live in settlements in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Under international law, all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem are considered illegal.

Separately, a clear majority (79%) of Germans are against military support for Israel in the war against Hamas, according to a survey by the Hamburg-based Koerber Foundation.

Some 64% also believe that Germany should act as a mediator between Israel and Hamas.

Meanwhile, 87% of those questioned support Germany's humanitarian aid for the people in the embattled Gaza Strip, where Israeli attacks over the last 13 months have killed over 43,000 people.

The US is also seen by 54% of those surveyed as a partner for Germany in Israel's war on Hamas.