Israel renounces annexation of West Bank

For weeks, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been weighing formally annexing much or all of the occupied West Bank.Now, an unusual message, delivered by a crucial Arab partner, is complicating his decision-making.

— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost.com) 2025-09-06T17:30:06.126363369Z

This decision comes after the Emirates clearly warned that any attempt to annex part of this territory would constitute a “red line” likely to jeopardize the Abraham Accords, signed in 2020 and considered a historic breakthrough in normalization between Israel and several Arab countries.

Faced with this risk, Netanyahu has removed annexation from the government’s official agenda.

The region remains under high tension with the war in Gaza, which has already claimed tens of thousands of Palestinian lives, triggered after the Hamas forward in October 2023. The humanitarian crisis is severe, and Israeli operations are worsening Israel’s relations with its Arab neighbors.

An annexation of the West Bank would undoubtedly have shattered Israel’s relations with the Emirates and other Gulf countries, threatening the stability of the region.