UK condemns Israel’s West Bank control grab as US reiterates annexation opposition
The UK condemned Israel’s latest move to extend control in the occupied West Bank as the United States reiterated its opposition to annexation.
London urged Israel to “reverse the decisions immediately”.
The measures would impose Israeli civil control over areas containing all Palestinian cities, ease land acquisition by settlers, and strip Palestinians of their limited self-rule.
“The UK strongly condemns the Israeli Security Cabinet’s decision yesterday to expand Israeli control over the West Bank,” the government said.
“Any unilateral attempt to alter the geographic or demographic makeup of Palestine is wholly unacceptable and inconsistent with international law,” it added.
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A White House official said US President Donald Trump’s opposition to West Bank annexation remained “clear”.
“A stable West Bank keeps Israel secure and aligns with this administration’s goal of achieving peace in the region,” the official said.
On Sunday, Israel approved sweeping changes to the administration of the West Bank that Palestinians say amount to de facto annexation.
Analysts say the measures would effectively end the Oslo Accords framework, which has granted the Palestinian Authority limited self-rule in parts of the territory since 1993.
The move was also condemned by the European Union and the United Nations.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is “gravely concerned” by the decision, his spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said, warning it was eroding prospects for a two-state solution.
Eight Muslim-majority countries - Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates - also denounced the move, saying it aimed to “impose unlawful Israeli sovereignty” in the West Bank.
The announcement comes as settler violence in the West Bank reaches record levels since Israel’s genocide in Gaza began.
Nearly 700 Palestinians were displaced in January alone, the highest monthly figure since October 2023, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
The report added that an entire herding community - including 130 families in Ras Ein al-Auja in the Jordan Valley - left the area after months of settler harassment.
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