European officials warn Israel over West Bank annexation plans

European officials have reportedly issued a warning to Israel not to annex parts of the occupied West Bank in retaliation for a historic move by Western powers to formally recognize a Palestinian state.

The diplomatic clash intensified after the U.K., Australia and Canada formally recognized Palestinian statehood on Sept. 21, a historic move which drew an immediate response from Israel. Portugal followed suit on Monday, and France is expected to do the same at the U.N. General Assembly this week.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sept. 21 vowed to push forward with settlement expansion in the territory Palestinians see as the heart of their future state.

“We doubled Jewish settlement in Judea and Samaria [the West Bank] and we will continue on this path,” Netanyahu said, adding that Israel will not allow the creation of a Palestinian state.

His comments were amplified by far-right cabinet members. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir called for the wholesale annexation of the West Bank.

“The days when Britain and other countries would determine our future are over … The only response to this anti-Israeli move is sovereignty over the historic homeland of the Jewish people in Judea and Samaria, and permanently removing the folly of a Palestinian state from the agenda,” Smotrich wrote on X.

U.K. Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper told the BBC that she has directly warned Israel against annexation. The British recognition of a Palestinian state based on 1967 borders holds particular significance given the U.K.’s historical role in the creation of Israel.

"We have been clear that this decision that we are taking is about the best way to respect the security for Israel as well as the security for Palestinians," Cooper said. "It’s about protecting peace and justice and crucially security for the Middle East and we will continue to work with everyone across the region in order to be able to do that."

The U.K.’s move will also pave the way for upgrading the Palestinian diplomatic mission in London to a full embassy.

According to the Financial Times, European officials are considering significant consequences should Israel proceed with annexation. Measures could include restricting trade with Israeli settlements, imposing more sanctions on violent settlers, and formally adopting a U.N. court advisory opinion that found Israel’s occupation to be in violation of international law.

Israeli media also reported on the blunt warnings from European diplomats. “If Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government want to destroy everything that has been built in the Middle East, they will have to bear the consequences,” the officials were quoted as saying.

President Emmanuel Macron has indicated France was to follow suit yesterday as he prepares to host a meeting with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohamed Bin Salman on the moribund two-state solution.

"They want a nation, they want a state, and we should not push them towards Hamas," Macron told CBS News, adding that the move would help isolate the armed group.

He also said he would make the release of hostages taken by Hamas during its Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel a precondition of opening an embassy to the Palestinian state.

Israel's Foreign Ministry said the recognition moves do not "promote peace, but on the contrary further destabilizes the region and undermines the chances of achieving a peaceful solution in the future."