Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered the suspension of a bill that seeks to formally annex two territories of the occupied West Bank into Israel. The move comes amid widespread criticism and warnings from the United States. Likud Party MP Ofir Katz confirmed the development.
In an interview with the Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth on Thursday, Ofir said, “The Prime Minister has instructed that the proceedings of the bill to annex Judea and Samaria (West Bank) to Israeli territory be halted until further notice.”
Israel seized the West Bank territories of Judea and Samaria during the 1967 Arab-Israeli War, and they have remained under Israeli occupation since then.
The bill to officially recognize Judea and Samaria as Israeli territory was introduced in the Israeli parliament (Knesset) on Wednesday. Following its introduction, it received 25 votes in favor and 24 against in the 120-seat Knesset. The remaining 71 members, including Netanyahu and several Likud MPs, abstained from voting.
Meanwhile, after the bill’s passage, U.S. Defense Secretary and senior political advisor to President Donald Trump, Marco Rubio, said, “They (Israel) have passed a bill in the Knesset, and we will not support it. We consider it a threat to the implementation of the peace plan in Gaza.”
Internationally—particularly in Middle Eastern countries—the bill has sparked intense criticism. On Thursday, U.S. President Donald Trump stated, “If the implementation of this bill begins, Israel will lose all kinds of cooperation from the United States.”
According to Knesset parliamentary rules, for any bill to be fully passed, voting must be held four times after its introduction. The bill’s fate—whether it will be enacted or not—is determined after the fourth round of voting.
However, with Netanyahu’s directive, the second, third, and fourth rounds of voting on the bill will not proceed for now.
