The Australia Palestine Advocacy Network (APAN) condemns statements by Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich outlining plans to annex and apply Israeli sovereignty over the occupied West Bank, a move that brazenly disregards international law and further erodes Palestinian sovereignty.
Smotrich’s declaration of 2025 as the “year of sovereignty in Judea and Samaria” reflects Israel’s intensified push to illegally seize Palestinian land, backed by expectations of support from the incoming Trump administration.
The Australian Government must take immediate measures – including by imposing sanctions and severing trade and diplomatic ties – to oppose this rogue state’s illegal expansionist policies.
Israel’s accelerating push toward annexation of occupied Palestinian land is part of a dangerous, consistent and long-standing agenda that the Israeli Government has advanced through violent settlement expansion, forced displacement, and the systematic erosion of Palestinian sovereignty.
These policies amount to a gross violation of international laws, and the blatant disregard for the recent International Court of Justice’s Advisory Opinion, which mandated that Israel end its illegal occupation, dismantle its settlements, provide full reparations to impacted Palestinians and facilitate the return of displaced Palestinians.
APAN urges the Australian Government to acknowledge and act according to its own legal obligations to end Israel’s genocide, illegal occupation and apartheid by:
- Publicly and unequivocally condemning Smotrich’s statements and Israel’s ongoing project of illegal settler-colonial occupation and expansion;
- Imposing sanctions against Smotrich and other Israeli officials and entities inciting, encouraging or facilitating genocide, illegal occupation and apartheid in Palestine;
- Imposing a two-way arms embargo on Israel;
- Severing trade and diplomatic relations with Israel to end Australian complicity in its violations; and
- Supporting international court proceedings to ensure Israel is held accountable for its crimes against humanity, atrocities and international law violations.
Statements attributed to APAN President Nasser Mashni:
“Israel’s plan to annex the West Bank is nothing less than a blatant land grab, advancing the goal of a single, Israeli apartheid state from the river to the sea.
“This is a direct assault on Palestinian sovereignty and an explicit violation of international law.
“The Australian Government must not remain silent as Israel attempts to erase the Palestinian people and their rightful claim to their land, in full view of the world.
“Australia must take tangible and immediate action—cut all military ties, halt trade agreements, and impose sanctions against Israel. Anything less is a betrayal of justice and complicity in Israel’s apartheid regime.”