How Israel's West Bank Annexation is Accelerating Under Smotrich's Influence

Trump's Role and Smotrich's Ambitions

• 💰 Donald Trump reportedly received $120 million from Miriam Adelson for his promise to support the annexation of the West Bank.
• 🎯 This support is seen as crucial for Israeli right-wingers like Bezalel Smotrich, who view Trump's presidency as an opportunity to assert sovereignty over "Judea and Samaria."
• 🗺️ The idea of the West Bank remaining part of a future Palestinian state was a key tenet for Western governments to maintain the fiction of a two-state solution, a concept Trump does not acknowledge.

Bezalel Smotrich: From Extremist Settler to Finance Minister

• 🏠 Smotrich, born in the Golan Heights and living in a West Bank settlement, grew up as an extremist settler involved in raiding Palestinian villages.
• ⚖️ He was previously arrested and charged with supporting terrorism, and later founded a group to fight against Israeli rulings on illegal settlements.
• 📈 After becoming a politician, he was appointed Finance Minister in late 2022, leveraging a fragile coalition to gain significant power.

Undermining Military Occupation for Political Control

• 🏛️ Historically, the formal military occupation of the West Bank (since 1967) provided a legal framework and insulation against expansionist Israeli politicians.
• 🛡️ The military's adherence to international laws (Hague, Geneva Conventions) posed obstacles to settlement expansion and changes to laws.
• 🔑 Smotrich's strategy involved creating an "additional minister" role within the Ministry of Defense, gaining control over the Settlement Administration and routing settlement affairs away from the military to political appointees.

Legal and Administrative Annexation Strategies

• 🌍 One front involves eroding the