From Temporary Occupation to Permanent Annexation: Israel’s Acquisition of Palestinian Territory by Force

Following President Trump’s recognition of Israel’s annexation of both Jerusalem and the occupied Syrian Golan, talk of annexation of occupied Palestinian territory has increased. In reality, annexation of occupied territory has been on Israel’s agenda since the beginning of the occupation in 1967, most clearly reflected in Israel’s formal annexation of occupied East Jerusalem in 1967 and the occupied Syrian Golan in 1981.1 Today, Israel’s intent to annex can be seen through the proliferation and entrenchment of its colonial settlement enterprise: instead of overt annexation, Israel’s annexation of the occupied West Bank has been insidious - a slow and steady process, defined by an array of policies and practices which are designed to obstruct the Palestinian right to self-determination.