The Palestinian government has condemned an Israeli bill to apply domestic law to parts of the occupied West Bank, calling the move illegal under international law and a threat to Palestinian sovereignty.
The State of Palestine said on Thursday that Israel holds no legal sovereignty over any part of the occupied Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem, the West Bank and the Gaza, which it described as “an indivisible geographical whole.”
The remarks came in response to a bill passed in preliminary reading by the Israeli Knesset on 22 October, which seeks to extend Israeli law to areas of the West Bank — a step many see as de facto annexation. The measure passed by a narrow 25–24 margin and must clear three more readings before becoming law.
Palestinian officials said the proposal violates international law and United Nations resolutions, citing the 2024 advisory opinion by the International Court of Justice, which reaffirmed the territories' occupied status and stated that Israeli law could not be applied there.
The Palestinian government urged international actors to reject the Knesset decision and form a coalition to oppose what it called “a policy of racial discrimination.” It warned that any unilateral Israeli action would be null and void and would not alter the legal status of the territories.
The statement also referenced the New York Declaration — adopted unanimously by UN member states — as grounds for opposing Israel’s settlement expansion and annexation.
In Washington, U.S. President Donald Trump dismissed concerns, saying: “Don’t worry about the West Bank … Israel is not going to do anything with the West Bank.” Speaking during a visit to Israel, U.S. Vice President JD Vance called the Knesset vote “a very stupid political stunt” and reaffirmed that the U.S. opposes any annexation of the territory.
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Nine suspects have been formally arrested over last week’s gun attack near Israel’s consulate in Istanbul, judicial officials have said. The assault left one attacker dead and two Turkish police officers lightly wounded.
Hungary’s political landscape is entering a new phase after voters brought an end to the long rule of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, with analysts pointing to economic discontent and governing fatigue rather than a decisive ideological break.
The reopening of Azerbaijan’s embassy in Iran reflects the “special relationship” between the two countries, a regional expert has said.
U.S. President Donald Trump forcefully criticised Pope Leo XIV late on Sunday in an unusually direct attack on the leader of the global Catholic Church, triggering a backlash from religious leaders and believers worldwide.
Hungarians vote in elections on Sunday that could see the end of hard right nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s more than 15 year rule. Opinion polls show Orbán’s Fidesz party trailing 45-year-old Péter Magyar’s centre-right opposition Tisza party.
U.S. and Iranian negotiators held their highest-level talks in half a century in Pakistan on Saturday in an effort to end their six-week war, as President Donald Trump said the U.S. military had begun the process of clearing the Strait of Hormuz.
At least 30 people were killed on Saturday in a stampede at Haiti’s Laferrière Citadel World Heritage Site, with authorities warning that the death toll could rise.
Israel has reprimanded Spain’s most senior diplomat in Tel Aviv after a giant effigy of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was blown up in a Spanish town.
Nine suspects were arrested on Saturday (11 April) in connection with a terror attack targeting a police post in Istanbul’s Beşiktaş district.
Nine suspects have been formally arrested over last week’s gun attack near Israel’s consulate in Istanbul, judicial officials have said. The assault left one attacker dead and two Turkish police officers lightly wounded.
The reopening of Azerbaijan’s embassy in Iran reflects the “special relationship” between the two countries, a regional expert has said.
Cement maker Lafarge was found guilty by a French court on Monday (13 April) of paying millions to jihadist groups, including ISIS, to keep a plant running during the Syrian civil war.
Afghanistan’s Foreign Ministry said on Sunday that talks with Pakistan had been positive, while Türkiye stressed the importance of stronger ties between Kabul and Islamabad.
South Korea is close to finalising an agreement to import crude oil from Kazakhstan, according to Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan, as the country seeks to diversify its energy supplies amid disruptions in the Middle East, he said on Sunday, 12 April, according to Reuters.
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