News - Middle East: Two far-right Israeli ministers have called for the annexation of the occupied West Bank following recognition of the Palestinian state by some long-time Western allies. 

In a statement released on Sunday, Itamar Ben Gvir said that "the recognition of a Palestinian state by Britain, Canada, and Australia requires immediate countermeasures." 

He also called for the "swift application of sovereignty" in the occupied West Bank and the "complete dismantling of the Palestinian Authority.”

“I intend to submit a proposal for applying sovereignty at the upcoming cabinet meeting,” the minister said.

The remarks come after Britain, Canada, and Australia formally recognized the state of Palestine amid growing public pressure to end their complicity in the Israeli genocide in Gaza.

Several European countries are set to follow suit this week.

A growing number of longtime US and Israel allies have shifted positions, as the Tel Aviv regime has intensified its genocidal war on Gaza, including a major ground offensive on Gaza City.

Bezalel Smotrich, another far-right Israeli minister, also on Sunday scolded the Western allies over formal recognition of Palestine.

“The days when Britain and other countries would determine our future are over. The mandate is over, and the only response to this anti-Israeli move is sovereignty over the West Bank, and permanently removing the folly of a Palestinian state from the agenda,” Smotrich said on X.

He called on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to apply Israeli sovereignty over the occupied Palestinian territory.

Smotrich has already announced plans to annex more than 80 percent of the occupied West Bank in a bid to block the establishment of a Palestinian state.

Israel recently approved a major settlement project, called E1, which aims to split the occupied West Bank into two parts, cutting off the northern cities of Ramallah and Nablus from Bethlehem and al-Khalil in the south and isolating East al-Quds.

The UN has repeatedly warned that continued settlement expansion threatens the viability of a so-called two-state solution.

The international community, including the UN, considers the Israeli settlements illegal under international law.

In an advisory opinion last July, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) declared Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory illegal and called for the evacuation of all settlements in the occupied West Bank and East al-Quds.

Earlier this year, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said that the Israeli policy of expanding and consolidating settlements across the occupied West Bank amounts to “a war crime.”

The UN rights chief said Israel must evacuate all settlers from the occupied West Bank and make reparations for decades of illegal settlement. Turk urged the international community to take meaningful action against the occupying entity.

Source: Press TV