While the world watches in horror as Palestinians are killed at food distribution sites in Gaza, Israel is quietly accelerating its long-anticipated plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank.

Emboldened by Western diplomatic cover, Israeli authorities have intensified efforts to displace Palestinians and entrench Jewish-Israeli control — what Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has referred to as the “Judaization” of the area. This campaign has involved home demolition, forced evictions, and the construction of Jewish-only settlements, outlined by exclusive cooperation bylaws.

The Knesset’s recent passing of legislation facilitating the annexation of the West Bank is the culmination of a multidecade strategy to gradually reshape its ethnic demography through the expansion of illegal Jewish settlements. Settlers often act with impunity, carrying out frequent and often violent attacks on Palestinian communities.