Israel Plans West Bank Annexation, Reports Seymour Hersh
An investigative reporter has claimed that the religious right within Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet is advocating against a two-state solution. Read Full Article at RT.com.
TroibNews 
According to US investigative journalist Seymour Hersh, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government is planning to formally announce the annexation of the West Bank in the near future. A source revealed to Hersh that this move is part of an effort to eliminate the prospect of a two-state solution.
Hersh reported that Israel has increased its military capability with support from Washington and is intensifying the expulsion of Palestinians from northern Gaza to the southern part of the enclave. He noted that the religious parties within Netanyahu’s cabinet are insisting on complete control over both occupied Palestinian territories.
“I was told this week by a well-informed Washington official that the Israeli leadership will formally annex the West Bank in the very near future – perhaps in two weeks – in the hope that the decisive step will end, once and for all, any talk of a two-state solution and will convince some in the skeptical Arab world to reconsider financing the planned reconstruction of Gaza,” he stated in an article on his Substack on Wednesday.
If these claims are accurate, the announcement would occur just weeks before the conclusion of US President Joe Biden’s term, altering the “reality on the ground” in time for President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration in January. During his previous presidency, Trump recognized Israel’s annexation of the Golan Heights and relocated the US embassy to Jerusalem.
Following a series of deadly incursions by Hamas into Israeli territory last October, Israel declared war against the Gaza-based group. Approximately 1,100 Israelis were killed in the assault on October 7, with about 250 more taken captive.
Since the outset of the Israeli military operation, nearly 44,000 Palestinians have reportedly died in Gaza, with an additional 104,000 injured, according to local authorities.
The Israeli military and police have also intensified their actions against Palestinians in the West Bank, which is governed by Fatah, a faction in opposition to Hamas.
Historically, the West Bank and Gaza were annexed by Jordan and Egypt, respectively, after the conflict in 1949, which resulted in Israel controlling much of the Mandate for Palestine area. Israel subsequently captured both territories during the 1967 war. International law recognizes the West Bank and Gaza as occupied territories, and several UN resolutions have called for the creation of an independent Palestinian state within these areas.
Hersh is an acclaimed investigative journalist, having won the Pulitzer Prize in 1970 for uncovering the My Lai massacre and its subsequent cover-up by the US military during the Vietnam War. He has also reported on various issues, including the abuses faced by Iraqi prisoners in Abu Ghraib and the CIA's domestic surveillance operations. Most recently, Hersh has accused the US of involvement in the September 2022 sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipelines between Russia and Germany, a claim that the US government has denied.
Anna Muller contributed to this report for TROIB News
Hersh reported that Israel has increased its military capability with support from Washington and is intensifying the expulsion of Palestinians from northern Gaza to the southern part of the enclave. He noted that the religious parties within Netanyahu’s cabinet are insisting on complete control over both occupied Palestinian territories.
“I was told this week by a well-informed Washington official that the Israeli leadership will formally annex the West Bank in the very near future – perhaps in two weeks – in the hope that the decisive step will end, once and for all, any talk of a two-state solution and will convince some in the skeptical Arab world to reconsider financing the planned reconstruction of Gaza,” he stated in an article on his Substack on Wednesday.
If these claims are accurate, the announcement would occur just weeks before the conclusion of US President Joe Biden’s term, altering the “reality on the ground” in time for President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration in January. During his previous presidency, Trump recognized Israel’s annexation of the Golan Heights and relocated the US embassy to Jerusalem.
Following a series of deadly incursions by Hamas into Israeli territory last October, Israel declared war against the Gaza-based group. Approximately 1,100 Israelis were killed in the assault on October 7, with about 250 more taken captive.
Since the outset of the Israeli military operation, nearly 44,000 Palestinians have reportedly died in Gaza, with an additional 104,000 injured, according to local authorities.
The Israeli military and police have also intensified their actions against Palestinians in the West Bank, which is governed by Fatah, a faction in opposition to Hamas.
Historically, the West Bank and Gaza were annexed by Jordan and Egypt, respectively, after the conflict in 1949, which resulted in Israel controlling much of the Mandate for Palestine area. Israel subsequently captured both territories during the 1967 war. International law recognizes the West Bank and Gaza as occupied territories, and several UN resolutions have called for the creation of an independent Palestinian state within these areas.
Hersh is an acclaimed investigative journalist, having won the Pulitzer Prize in 1970 for uncovering the My Lai massacre and its subsequent cover-up by the US military during the Vietnam War. He has also reported on various issues, including the abuses faced by Iraqi prisoners in Abu Ghraib and the CIA's domestic surveillance operations. Most recently, Hersh has accused the US of involvement in the September 2022 sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipelines between Russia and Germany, a claim that the US government has denied.
Anna Muller contributed to this report for TROIB News
