UK’s Middle East Minister condemns far-right Israeli Minister’s annexation comments

The UK’s Middle East Minister Hamish Falconer has condemned Israel’s finance minister’s suggestion of territorial annexation in the West Bank.

In a post on X/Twitter, Falconer said: “Annexation only undermines the prospects for peace, would lead to greater instability and would be illegal under international law. The Israeli government must reject this.”

On Monday, Bezalal Smotrich, a far-right member of Benjamin Netanyahu’s government posted on social media that 2025 would be “the year of sovereignty in Judea and Samaria” (the Hebrew name for the disputed territories).

In another social media post, Smotrich welcomed the announcement that Donald Trump would be appointing former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee to serve as US ambassador to Israel.

The finance minister said: “As a consistent and loyal friend of the State of Israel and a supporter of the settlement enterprise in Judea and Samaria, who for many years fought for our state and our right to all parts of the Land of Israel, I have no doubt that we have won and together with him we will strengthen Israel's security and strength and strengthen our hold in all its territory.”

Last month, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said he was “looking at” sanctioning Smotrich and another far-right Israeli minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir.

Starmer condemned Smotrich’s comments, made in August, that it might be “justified and moral” to starve two million people in Gaza and said his remarks were “obviously abhorrent”.

Also last month, former foreign secretary Lord Cameron revealed to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that he had considered sanctions against the two Israeli ministers, whom he called “extremist”, as a way of putting pressure on the Israeli government.

Smotrich has a history of making maximalist territorial statements and controversial comments.

Last month, Times of Israel reported that the leader of the Religious Zionism party told a conference that he wanted Israel to annex the entirety of the West Bank and Gaza and for “the establishment of new cities and settlements deep in the (West Bank)” with thousands more settlers.

He also a conference in Paris last year that the Palestinian people were “an invention” and he has previously described himself as a “proud homophobe”.