'Formalising apartheid': Smotrich West Bank annexation plans widely condemned

Israel's Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has triggered a wave of reactions after he unveiled a controversial plan to annex the vast majority of occupied Palestinian territory.

Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, Smotrich proposed absorbing 82 percent of the occupied West Bank into Israel, a move that would effectively eliminate the prospect of a future Palestinian state.

Under the proposal, only six isolated enclave.s - where major Palestinian cities such as Jenin, Tulkarm, Nablus, Ramallah, Jericho and Hebron are located - would remain outside of Israeli control. All other areas, including dozens of towns and villages, would be formally annexed.

According to the plan, the Palestinian Authority (PA) - which was established under the 1993 Oslo Accords between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organisation and serves as the internationally recognised governing body in parts of the West Bank - would be gradually dismantled. 

In its place, Smotrich suggested the establishment of "regional civilian management alternatives".

If the PA were to resist, it would be "destroyed", he warned.

"Judea and Samaria are not disputed territory; they are the inheritance of our ancestors for generations," Smotrich said. "There will never, and can never be, a Palestinian state in our land."

The minister presented a map illustrating the proposal, which bore the official logo of the Ministry of Defence. Reactions to the map have been circulating online, with many saying that Israel is "no longer hiding" its plans of completely absorbing the occupied West Bank. 

There are about 7.5 million Palestinians (2 million with Israeli citizenship and 2nd class status) and 7.2 million Jews between the river and the sea

Israel's military-messianic regime is formalizing apartheid

The mask is officially off https://t.co/m87ZUYcMdX

— Max Blumenthal (@MaxBlumenthal) September 3, 2025

Yehud Shaul, co-founder of the Israeli anti-occupation organisation Breaking the Silence, was among many social media users who say the map is proof of apartheid.

"Reminds me of another map in a different continent, from the 20th century. There is a word in Afrikaans to describe that regime," he wrote. 

An anti-occupation activist in Israel echoed this sentiment on X, writing: "After decades of lies and deception, the masks are finally off, and the situation on the ground has now become official, formally endorsed by the Ministry of 'Defense': The State of Israel is an apartheid state, from the river to the sea."

Is there a word for indefinitely ruling over a people who, because they lack your faith and ethnicity, have no voting rights? https://t.co/kOPnLC6uaR

— Zaid Jilani (@ZaidJilani) September 3, 2025

One social media user argued that the plans have been enacted long before the press conference, and that Israel "already treats the entire territory as if it were its sovereign territory".

"The West Bank is already de facto annexed. Israel is already pursuing a strategy of 'maximum land and minimum population'. This is just official recognition of the apartheid reality on the ground."

A post on X pointed out that during the press conference, Smotrich featured a photo of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu voting on Israel being sovereign over the West Bank – signalling that this position isn't marginal, but one from the top of Israel's leadership.

Smotrich was clever to show Netanyahu voting in the Knesset for Israel to declare sovereignty over the West Bank. The western politicians who try to blame Smotrich or Ben Gvir need to be shown it comes from Netanyahu. pic.twitter.com/iHlKYGkQI6

— Philip (@rulesbasedworld) September 3, 2025

The United Arab Emirates responded to Smotrich's plan on Wednesday, firmly warning Israel that annexation of the occupied West Bank would constitute a "red line".

"From the very beginning, we viewed the [Abraham] Accords as a way to enable our continued support for the Palestinian people and their legitimate aspiration for an independent state,” Lana Nusseibeh, the foreign ministry's assistant minister for political affairs, said in a statement. 

"We call on the Israeli government to suspend these plans. Extremists of any kind cannot be allowed to dictate the region's trajectory. Peace requires courage, persistence and a refusal to let violence define our choices."

Former US Ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro weighed in on X, warning President Donald Trump that the Abraham Accords risk collapse if Israel is left to chart its own course on annexation - something current Ambassador Mike Huckabee has signalled the US would permit.

"The message from the UAE to Israel could not be stronger or more clear: annexation of the West Bank is playing with fire. Trump wants regional integration, more Abraham Accords, Saudi normalization? He should not 'leave the decision to Israel' when it's Smotrich's hands on the wheel and US interests are at stake," Shapiro wrote. 

Palestinian-American political analyst Omar Baddar also commented on the UAE warning to Israel, observing that the "red line" wasn't Israel's ongoing genocide in Gaza. 

"This is a red line, but for some reason, genocide wasn't," he posted on X.