Minister Smotrich announced that Israel is preparing to annex the West Bank of Jordan.

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said the country should respond to France by annexing the West Bank in response to French President Emmanuel Macron's decision to recognize the state of Palestine. He wrote about this on July 25 on the social network X.

"I thank President Macron for presenting <...> an argument in favor of the final establishment of Israeli sovereignty over the historical territories of Judea and Samaria and the final end to the dangerous illusion of a terrorist Palestinian state in the heart of the Land of Israel," the message said.

Smotrich noted that the annexation of the Jordan Bank would be a response to unilateral pressure from European countries, in particular France, to end the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

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Earlier, on July 24, Macron announced his intention to recognize the state of Palestine at the UN General Assembly in 2026. He noted that this will contribute to ending the Palestinian-Israeli conflict in the Gaza Strip, as well as rescue and comprehensive assistance to local residents.

On the same day, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the decision, considering it an encouragement of terror.

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