Abdul Rahim Jamous: The Israeli occupation has sought expansion and annexation through systematic settlement projects since its inception.

Dr. Amjad Shehab: The increasing attacks by settlers on villages and towns aims to displace their residents and carries dangerous implications

Lawyer Hassan Malihat: The Israeli plan to control the West Bank has been ready for years, and there is no real political or legal deterrent to it

Dr. Ramzi Odeh: The Trump administration prefers that the annexation take place within the framework of a political agreement that requires long negotiations and regional approval

Adel Shadid: Developments in Areas C and B in the West Bank reveal the future intentions of the occupation authorities

Firas Al-Alami: A deliberate Israeli policy that comes within a systematic plan to evacuate Palestinians from Area C and control them

The announcement by the extremist Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich last week that he had instructed the Settlement Administration to prepare plans to apply sovereignty over the West Bank lands, and his assertion that 2025 “will be the year of sovereignty,” as well as the increasing attacks by settlers on Palestinian villages and towns, carry dangerous implications for the future of the West Bank, in light of the escalating pace of settlement and the confiscation of tens of thousands of dunams, which confirms that Smotrich’s plan has become a strategy for the extreme right-wing Israeli government led by Benjamin Netanyahu, which seeks practically and on the ground to consolidate the annexation of the West Bank.

Analysts and observers who spoke to us believe that these attacks clearly aim to displace the residents of villages near the settlement outposts towards the main cities in the West Bank, especially in areas classified as (C), which constitute about 61% of the area of the West Bank, in addition to areas classified as (B), which means that 83% of the area of the West Bank is now greatly threatened with confiscation.

They pointed out that Donald Trump's victory in the US presidential elections and his return to power once again prompted Smotrich to officially announce the annexation plan, while Netanyahu intends to put the issue back on his government's agenda, as he believes that Trump's return will enable his government to achieve its goals without international pressure.

Unprecedented escalation of settlement attacks

Writer and political analyst Abdul Rahim Jamous explained that the Israeli occupation has been seeking, since its inception, to expand and annex through systematic settlement projects, adding that the escalating attacks by settlers, with the support of the occupation army, target Palestinian villages and cities on a large scale.

He pointed out that these attacks come in the context of a racist settlement plan that aims to dismember the Palestinian territories and isolate their cities and villages, in violation of the rules of international law and the Geneva Conventions that prohibit the transfer of the population of the occupied state to the occupied territories.

He said: "The Israeli entity is flouting all international rules, which requires a unified Palestinian position and a comprehensive plan to confront these plans that include expanding settlements in Jerusalem and the West Bank, and even re-settling in the Gaza Strip."

Jamous expected that "next year will witness an escalation in attacks on Palestinian residents and their property, which requires a comprehensive Palestinian response."

Forming popular committees to protect Palestinian villages and cities

He called for the formation of popular committees to protect Palestinian villages and cities from settler attacks, in conjunction with escalating political and diplomatic efforts to confront the occupation's plans.

Jamous stressed that the occupation's plans are not limited to the West Bank, but also include the Gaza Strip, where the occupation seeks to reoccupy parts of it to settle them, stressing the need for the Palestinian people to be aware of the dangers of these plans, and to work to protect the land and the population from repeated attacks.

Jamous appreciated the efforts of the Palestinian Authority and the PLO in the international political arena, as they work to expose the practices of the occupation and mobilize international support to condemn settlements.

The importance of activating the role of Arab countries

He pointed out the importance of activating the role of Arab countries in providing the necessary support to confront these challenges, calling for a joint Palestinian-Arab plan to protect Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem and Bethlehem.

Jamous said: "There is no doubt that diplomatic efforts are continuing, especially at the level of communication with international powers, but there must be more effective steps on the ground, complementing these political efforts."

Jamous described the current Israeli government as a "dual right-wing government," noting that it adopts an expansionist agenda aimed at seizing more Palestinian lands.

He added that this government represents a great danger to the future of the Palestinian cause, which requires unifying popular and official efforts to confront these challenges.

Jamous stressed that the next stage requires Palestinian and Arab vigilance at all levels, saying: “The confrontation will be on the ground through the formation of popular committees to protect the population, and at the international level through mobilizing support to confront the occupation’s plans. This is a major responsibility that requires concerted efforts to thwart the occupation’s plans and support the steadfastness of the Palestinian people on their land.”

Displacement of residents of villages near settlement outposts

Jerusalemite political analyst Dr. Amjad Shehab pointed out that the increasing attacks by settlers on Palestinian villages and towns in the West Bank carry dangerous implications for the future of the region, in light of the escalating pace of settlement, the occupation of hills, and the confiscation of tens of thousands of dunams.

He stressed that these attacks clearly aim to displace the residents of Palestinian villages near the settlement outposts towards the main cities in the north, centre and south of the West Bank, especially in areas classified as (C), which constitute about 61% of the area of the West Bank, in addition to areas classified as (B), which means that 83% of the area of the West Bank is now greatly threatened.

Shehab explained that "these practices pave the way for the plan to annex the West Bank in an official and pre-planned manner. The absence of legal accountability for the settlers and their obtaining the green light to continue their attacks reflects that the next stage will be very difficult."

Therefore, the Palestinian Authority must take fateful decisions to protect Palestinian villages and strengthen the steadfastness of their residents, especially in the areas most at risk, such as Areas C and B.

2025 could be a decisive year for the Palestinian file

According to a BBC report, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in closed meetings that “the issue of annexing the West Bank must return to the agenda with President Trump’s return to power.” This suggests that 2025 could be a crucial year in the far-right Israeli government’s attempt to resolve the Palestinian issue, as stated in its 2022 election program.

The Jerusalemite analyst pointed out that the Israeli far right, led by Netanyahu, is optimistic about the possibility of imposing Israeli sovereignty over the West Bank, especially with the expected support from the US administration headed by Trump and figures who support the annexation plans.

Shehab explained that “Israel has been implementing steps on the ground for years to impose a silent annexation reality on several levels, paving the way for official annexation with almost certain American approval. Among the most important repercussions of this annexation is the official burial of the two-state solution project, which is the goal that Netanyahu has sought to achieve since he first assumed the premiership in 1996, when he pledged at the time to eliminate the idea of establishing a Palestinian state on the 1967 borders.”

He stressed that "despite the issuance of a decision by the International Criminal Court considering settlement in the West Bank illegal and a flagrant violation of international conventions, including the United Nations Charter, which prohibits annexation using the threat and force of occupation, the current Israeli government continues its complete disregard for international law and the decisions of international courts."

Shehab believes that the current stage requires a clear Palestinian position and a comprehensive strategy to confront the imminent dangers, including strengthening the steadfastness of the villages and mobilizing the international community to pressure Israel to stop its attacks and annexation plans.

Settlers' chaos has reached an unprecedented level

The general supervisor of the Al-Baidar Organization for the Defense of Bedouin Rights, Attorney Hassan Malihat, pointed out that “the rampant repressive practices of settler gangs supported by the occupation authorities against the Palestinian people and the pillars of their life and national and human existence, especially the Bedouin communities that stand in open confrontation with the settlers, have reached an unprecedented level of fascism and racism, in the absence of effective and deterrent steps from the international community, and that the persistence of settler gangs in their attacks against Bedouin communities is a recipe for a religious war that will lead the region to the brink of the abyss and explosion.”

He stressed that "the problem in these serious issues is not only the occupation and its crimes, but also the silence of the international community on these crimes, whose silence is considered complicity with the occupation authorities and their plans, or at least translates into a disastrous failure of the international community to carry out its moral and legal duties and responsibilities towards the Palestinian people, as stipulated in the Fourth Geneva Conventions."

Malehat pointed out that the continued Israeli attacks on Palestinians, especially those carried out by settlers under the protection of the Israeli army and under direct instructions from ministers in the Israeli government, such as Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben Gvir, represent an accurate translation of the extremist Zionist strategy.

He stressed that the Israeli plan for control over the West Bank has been ready for years, and was drawn up as part of the plan of the century approved by Trump during his first term in 2017, while the occupation began implementing its steps practically in recent years by expanding settlements, seizing Palestinian lands in the West Bank, supporting settler militias with weapons and money, in addition to intensifying the policy of demolishing homes, and displacing Palestinian Bedouin communities in the Palestinian Jordan Valley.

There is no real political or legal deterrent to the settlement plan.

He said: There is no real political and legal deterrent to the settlement plan in the West Bank, while the Palestinian Authority and the Arab countries have reached a stage of political and international weakness, to the point of being unable to defend their existence, or even the lands they have in the West Bank, explaining that Smotrich's announcement will be implemented as an inevitable matter in light of the international support for the occupying state, and the penetration of religious Zionism, while there will be no alternative to confrontation.

Malihat considered the announcement extremely dangerous, especially with Trump returning to the US presidency, and Smotrich’s announcement could be a “test of the waters” for reactions to the issue. He said: The Palestinians will find themselves under direct military occupation, without being given political or economic rights or even freedom of worship, which will lead the region into the throes of open war.

Israeli annexation of the West Bank is not expected in 2025

In turn, Dr. Ramzi Odeh, Secretary-General of the International Academic Campaign Against Occupation and Apartheid, said: The Trump administration is unlikely to give the green light to Israel to annex the West Bank, especially in the first year of its term.

Awda explained that the Trump administration prefers that the annexation take place within the framework of a political agreement that requires long negotiations and regional approval, especially from Saudi Arabia.

He added that Saudi Arabia rejects any normalization with Israel without reaching a two-state solution, which complicates the issue of annexation.

Awda pointed out that the Trump administration will not risk its relations with its regional allies, such as Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Egypt. He stressed that the recent Riyadh Arab-Islamic summit stressed the need to activate the international coalition to establish a two-state solution, and to reject the marginalization of the role of the Palestinian National Authority, especially in the wake of the recent Israeli aggression.

He stressed that Israel needs US approval to legitimize any annexation, which seems unlikely in 2025.

However, the possibility of partial annexation in the following year remains, especially if it is linked to political trade-offs, such as normalizing relations with Saudi Arabia in exchange for freezing or reducing the scope of the annexation, as happened with the United Arab Emirates four years ago.

He explained that partial annexation may include settlements and the Jordan Valley, which is in line with the "Deal of the Century" formula.

Awda believes that this step could be used to pressure the Palestinian National Authority to conclude a final peace agreement with Israel, based on a modified version of the Deal of the Century that the Trump administration may put back on the table.

Smotrich's announcement was not surprising.

Adel Shadid, an expert on Israeli affairs, confirmed that the recent announcement by Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich that 2025 will be the year of annexation was not surprising, but rather based on facts and movements that have been studied and ongoing since the end of Trump's first term until today.

Shadid pointed out that the years following the end of Trump's term witnessed the highest rates of confiscation of Palestinian lands, and the largest number of housing units built in settlements.

He explained that the current government headed by Benjamin Netanyahu, which includes extremist parties such as "Religious Zionism" and "Jewish Power", is a settlement government par excellence, as it is working systematically to accelerate annexation and settlement projects.

He pointed out that the developments witnessed in the areas classified as (C) and (B) in the West Bank reveal the future intentions of the occupation.

The government has expanded settlements, strengthened settlement construction in Area C, in addition to what is known as “whitening” more than 25 random settlement outposts and turning them into legal settlements, and establishing 79 new settlement outposts in preparation for whitening and legalizing them if the current government continues.

A systematic Israeli policy aimed at imposing a new reality

He explained that the Israeli government has worked to restructure vital positions in the so-called "Civil Administration" and the Knesset, so that it focuses on strengthening its control over the West Bank.

It also intensified its efforts to limit Palestinian construction in Areas B and C, while accelerating settlement construction in those areas.

Shadid believes that Smotrich's announcement of the date of annexation reflects a systematic Israeli policy aimed at imposing a new demographic and geographical reality in the West Bank by 2025.

Stressing that these policies constitute a serious threat to the Palestinian national project, and require urgent action at the local and international levels to confront them.

Escalation of events, especially during the peak of the olive harvest season

Commenting on the escalation of events, especially at the height of the olive harvest season, human rights activist Firas Al-Alami of Yesh Din Human Rights Organization said, “Settler attacks in the West Bank continue and escalate, and their intensity is increasing, in light of the negligence of the so-called Israeli law enforcement authorities, who are not doing the minimum of their duty to limit this crime, which has become organized and systematic, supported by Israeli political leaders, including ministers and members of the Knesset.”

Al-Ilmi summarized the violent incidents against Palestinians in the West Bank during the month of October as follows:

In October, Yesh Din documented 110 incidents of violence by settlers and armed soldiers against Palestinians. This is an average of more than five incidents per day. The violence occurred in 49 Palestinian towns and villages in the West Bank.

Incidents included shootings (including fatal shootings), violent assaults and threats, deportation and expulsion of farmers and Bedouin communities, prevention of harvest, theft of crops and agricultural equipment, cutting down of trees, and more.

In 61 incidents, settlers and soldiers forcibly prevented Palestinians from harvesting their olive trees. In approximately 70% of these cases, members of the occupation forces were present, but instead of protecting the Palestinian victims, as their duties require, they cooperated with the settlers and gave them protection and legitimacy to continue.

In 11 incidents, settlers cut down or burned hundreds of trees. In 26 incidents, settlers harvested and stole olives from private Palestinian land.

The vast majority of these incidents occurred on private Palestinian land that the army prevents the owners from entering, allowing trees to be cut down and crops to be stolen.

Al-Ilmi added: The escalation of events and cooperation between settlers and members of the army and police forces leads to the conclusion that preventing the harvest from the Palestinians in the West Bank is a deliberate Israeli policy that comes within a systematic policy and plan to evacuate the Palestinians from Area C and control those areas.