Netanyahu pledges to annex West Bank territory

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatened to annex areas of the occupied West Bank ahead of the coming week's Israeli Knesset elections. In an April 5 interview on Israeli Channel 12 TV, he was asked about plans to annex Israeli settlement blocs in the occupied territory, and responded: "Will we go to the next phase? The answer is yes. We will go to the next phase to extend Israeli sovereignty... I will impose sovereignty, but I will not distinguish between settlement blocs and isolated settlements. From my perspective, any point of settlement is Israeli, and we have responsibility, as the Israeli government. I will not uproot anyone, and I will not transfer sovereignty to the Palestinians." (Times of Israel, NPR)

In a part of the interview seemingly reported in English only by the independent Palestinian Ma'an News Agency, Netanyahu also appeared to broach annexation of all Area C, the zone of mixed Israeli and Palestinian control, which covers 62% of the West Bank's territory. Asked about the future status of Area C, he reportedly replied: "I promise that you will be surprised. I cannot talk about the plan, but Trump is a big friend and I doubt there will ever be any bigger friend than him."

Israeli authorities continue to issue demolition orders to Palestinian homes and structrues in Area C. The most recent such order was delivered this week to Palestinian-owned home and adjacent structures in the South Hebron Hills, or Masafer Yatta area. Around 3,000 Israeli settlers live in illegal Jewish-only settlements in the Yatta region. (Ma'an News Agency)