The Knesset has given the “green light” to advance a bill seeking to implement Israeli sovereignty over the West Bank, sparking strong reactions inside and outside of Israel. The bill narrowly passed, while the debate coincided with a visit to Israel by US Vice President Jay D. Vance.

The bill, titled “Implementation of Israeli Sovereignty in Judea and Samaria, 2025,” was tabled by Noam Party MP Avi Maoz.

The vote narrowly passed, with 25 votes in favor and 24 against, after intense debate in the Knesset plenary. The bill will now be forwarded to the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, where it will be debated before returning to the full house for a second and third vote.

The bill’s proposal states that “the laws, judicial system, administration and sovereignty of the State of Israel shall apply to all settlement areas in Judea and Samaria.”

Before the vote, Avi Maoz told the plenary that “by applying sovereignty to Judea and Samaria, we are righting a historical wrong that should have been righted long ago. Since the government is hesitating, it is our duty, as members of the Knesset, to act.”

Maoz said Wednesday that he refused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s request to postpone the debate and would go ahead with the vote regardless of the government’s stance.

The timing of the vote coincides with a visit by US Vice President Jay D. Vance to Israel, where he met with Netanyahu on Thursday morning.

Education Minister Yoav Kish told the plenary that “this administration is the best the settlement movement has ever had,” he said, adding that “the time for sovereignty legislation will come and we will advance it together with our American partners.”

Right-wing ministers have pushed for the full implementation of Israeli sovereignty over the entire West Bank, prompting strong reactions from world leaders.

New regime of sovereignty in the West Bank

The United Arab Emirates had warned as early as September that any annexation of the West Bank would seriously undermine the spirit of the Abraham Accords, which aim to normalize relations between the two countries.

If the bill is not approved, it will not be able to return to the full Knesset for six months. Similar bills have been filed in the past by other MPs, including Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.

In July, the Knesset had approved a resolution in favor of “the implementation of Israeli sovereignty in Judea, Samaria and the Jordan Valley”, without, however, having a binding or legislative character.

Under Israeli law, the current status of the territories seized from Jordan in the Six-Day War, except for East Jerusalem, is considered a “temporary war occupation”, with the head of the Israeli Armed Forces (IDF) Central Command as commander of the area.

Under the Oslo Accords in the 1990s, the territories were divided into three zones:

Zone A: Palestinian cities and towns under full political and police control of the Palestinian Authority,

Zone B: under Israeli security control and Palestinian civilian administration,

Zone C: under full Israeli control, both in terms of security and administration.

About 500,000 Israeli settlers live mainly in Area C. Israel considers most settlements to be legal under its domestic law, as they have been erected on state land and approved by legitimate government decisions.

Instead, the majority of international organizations consider the settlements a violation of Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, which prohibits the transfer of civilians to occupied territory.

Israel, for its part, maintains that no Israeli citizens were expelled or forcibly transferred to these territories and that the territory is not considered occupied, as there was no internationally recognized sovereignty there before 1967.

In 2024, the International Court of Justice in The Hague issued an opinion ruling that Israel’s presence in the West Bank is no longer temporary and therefore illegal under international law.