US Proposal for Israeli Sovereignty Over West Bank Sparks Controversy
Israeli army vehicles drive during a military raid in Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank, on Tuesday.
President Donald Trump teased an impending announcement of a US proposal for the occupied West Bank when asked by a reporter on Tuesday if he supported Israeli sovereignty over "Judea and Samaria," the Biblical term many Israelis use to describe the Palestinian territory.
To some right-wing Israelis, the advent of the Trump administration provides a unique opportunity to extend Israeli control in the West Bank, where more than 500,000 Jewish settlers live on land captured by Israel from Jordan in the 1967 war. The settlements there are considered illegal under international law.
During his first term, Trump abandoned the long-held US stance that settlements are illegal and several of his nominees have suggested Israel has the right to annex the West Bank.
Elise Stefanik, who is slated to become the new US ambassador to the United Nations, said she agreed with the view that Israel has "a biblical right" to annex the West Bank. Mike Huckabee, who is expected to become US ambassador to Israel, has previously said there is "no such thing as a Palestinian."
On Tuesday, Republican Senator Tom Cotton introduced legislation to require all official US documents and materials to use "Judea and Samaria" instead of the "West Bank." The bill was introduced in the House of Representatives by Republican Congresswoman Claudia Tenney on Friday.
"The Israeli people have an undeniable and indisputable historical and legal claim over Judea and Samaria," Tenney said.
Israel launched a major military offensive in the West Bank in January, two days after the ceasefire agreement with Hamas in Gaza came into effect. At the outset, Defense Minister Israel Katz said the military would adopt tactics learned in the Gaza offensive in its efforts to eradicate militant groups and, in his words, "ensure that terrorism does not return."
One area majorly hit by Israeli forces has been Jenin, in the northern West Bank. On Tuesday, the UN said all 30,000 residents of the Jenin refugee camp had been forced to leave following an Israeli operation that destroyed hundreds of residential units.
