Right-wing rivals of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu narrowly passed a West Bank annexation bill in a first parliamentary reading, drawing remonstration from the US as the allies try to implement a Gaza peace plan whose regional support hinges on acknowledging Palestinian territorial claims.
Wednesday’s 25-to-24 vote in the Knesset came as Netanyahu hosts a cascade of top aides to US President Donald Trump, who said last month he would not allow Israel to annex the West Bank — an area on which, along with the Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem, Palestinians want to establish an independent state.