The Annexation Playbook Refined
FIRST INSTANCE: Gradual Encroachment (1970s onwards) Immediately following the 1967 Six-Day War, Israeli settlements began to appear in the West Bank. Early justifications often cited security concerns. The 'Judea and Samaria' designation for the West Bank began institutionalizing the idea of Israeli sovereignty over the territory. The explicit policy of establishing settlements was formalized
under then-Defense Minister Ariel Sharon in the late 1970s, strategically placing them to fragment Palestinian population centers. Data from B’Tselem shows settler population grew from a few hundred in 1967 to 1,000 in 1972, then accelerated to over 100,000 by 1993 (B'Tselem, 2023). REPETITIONS: Legalizing the 'Facts on the Ground' (Early 2000s - 2017) The 2005 disengagement from Gaza, often
framed as a withdrawal, simultaneously saw continued expansion in East Jerusalem and major West Bank settlement blocs. Critics noted this solidified control over more economically valuable and strategically important areas. In 2017, the Israeli Knesset passed the 'Regularization Law,' retroactively legalizing thousands of settler homes built on private Palestinian land. This move was widely
condemned internationally as a violation of international law (UN Security Council Resolution 2334, 2016). OUTCOMES: De Facto Annexation and Palestinian Fragmentation Each 'relaxation' of regulations or 'strengthening' of Israeli authority has led to a measurable decrease in the contiguity and viability of a future Palestinian state. The expansion of settlements and associated infrastructure, such