Türkiye slams Israeli calls for West Bank annexation, urges int'l response

Türkiye has rejected in the strongest terms the statements by Israeli officials calling for the illegal annexation of the occupied West Bank.

In a statement on Tuesday, the Turkish Foreign Ministry described the remarks as a direct challenge to international law and a threat to the viability of the two-state solution, and called for a global response to Israel's policies.

Describing the annexation calls as evidence of Israel's long-term ambitions to seize Palestinian territory, the statement expressed deep concern over what it called Israel's "policy of genocide and occupation" against the Palestinians.

It further noted that the perceived impunity surrounding these actions has emboldened Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his supporters.

The statement called on the United Nations Security Council and the broader international community to adopt a firm stance against Israel's "unlawful policies."

Ordereing preparations for "applying sovereignty"

Israel's Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich pledged on Monday to illegally annex the Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank in 2025, calling Donald Trump's return to power in the United States "an important opportunity".

"The year 2025 will be, with God's help, the year of sovereignty in Judea and Samaria," the far-right minister said, using the biblical name for the West Bank, reflecting the aim of Judaising the area.

Smotrich, whose ministerial portfolio also includes some areas of the defence ministry's work, said he had ordered preparations for "applying sovereignty" over Israeli settlements.

Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967. Palestinians claim the territory as part of a future independent state, and have repeatedly warned that Israeli settlements there are an obstacle to peace.