Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faced political embarrassment on Wednesday when the Knesset approved in a preliminary reading a bill by MK Avi Maoz of the Noam party to apply Israeli sovereignty over the West Bank—despite Netanyahu’s request to withdraw it while U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance was visiting Israel.
The move came shortly after U.S. President Donald Trump officially declared that he would not allow annexation, dashing right-wing and settler leaders’ long-held hopes. At the same time, lawmakers also passed a separate proposal by Yisrael Beytenu leader Avigdor Lieberman to apply sovereignty to Ma’ale Adumim.
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Trump, Netanyahu, West Bank
(Photo: Alex Kolomoisky, Reuters/Dedi Hayun, AP/Carlos Osorio)
As Maoz presented his bill to the plenum, shouting erupted between coalition and Arab lawmakers. “It is time to apply sovereignty,” Maoz declared. “The settlements in the Land of Israel are our connection to ourselves as a people. We call to immediately apply Israeli law and sovereignty to Judea and Samaria. Since the government has hesitated, it is our duty as Knesset members to do it.”
MK Ahmad Tibi fired back: “Even your idolized leader Trump now opposes annexation. There is no Riviera, no bonanza—only a reality where more than 150 countries recognize Palestine.”
The vote on Maoz’s proposal was close and dramatic. Yesh Atid lawmakers, including party leader Yair Lapid and MK Merav Ben Ari, entered the chamber to vote against it—hoping to sink Maoz’s bill so that only Lieberman’s would pass. Blue and White, Likud, and Shas members were absent from the vote, while the ultra-Orthodox United Torah Judaism split, with Degel HaTorah voting against but Agudat Yisrael members including Yitzhak Goldknopf, Israel Eichler, and Yaakov Tessler voting in favor. Likud MK Yuli Edelstein also broke ranks to support the bill, joining Yisrael Beytenu, Religious Zionism, and Agudat Yisrael.
In the end, Maoz’s bill passed by a single vote—25 to 24—after Yesh Atid’s maneuver failed by the narrowest margin. “They had more MKs who could have come in to defeat it,” one Knesset source said. Edelstein later posted on social media: “I just voted in favor of applying sovereignty over Judea and Samaria. Especially now, Israeli sovereignty throughout our homeland is the order of the day. I have fought for the Land of Israel all my life, and I call on all Zionist factions to vote in favor.”
Lieberman’s proposal to apply sovereignty to Ma’ale Adumim also passed its preliminary vote, this time by a wide margin—31 in favor, 9 against, and one abstention. “On the road to sovereignty—on the road to history!” Lieberman declared afterward. “The coalition tried to stall and block the move but failed. They fled the chamber instead of voting, but we didn’t give up. We are the right that acts, not just talks.”
However, a preliminary vote is only the first step in the legislative process. The proposals by Maoz and Lieberman must still pass three additional readings after committee discussions before becoming law.
Binyamin Regional Council head and Yesha Council chairman Israel Ganz praised the votes, calling them “a historic step.” He said, “We thank the MKs who advanced these historic proposals. They will be remembered as those who acted to correct a longstanding injustice. However, in a fully right-wing government, it is unacceptable that the opposition is leading the charge on sovereignty. We call on the coalition and the government to take responsibility and move forward swiftly.”
Settler leaders have recently sought to reignite public and political debate on sovereignty, even at the cost of embarrassing the government. For them, the bills are meant to bring the issue back into the national conversation—after Trump cooled enthusiasm on the matter during their recent visit to the White House.
Likud officials sharply criticized the votes, calling them “an irresponsible political stunt by the opposition aimed at harming our relations with the United States and undermining Israel’s major achievements.” The party said, “We strengthen the settlements every day through real action—budgets, construction, and industry—not empty rhetoric. True sovereignty will come not through a showpiece bill, but through practical steps and diplomatic groundwork, just as we achieved recognition in the Golan Heights and Jerusalem.”
Education Minister Yoav Kisch, speaking in the plenum, sought to ease the embarrassment: “We are committed to sovereignty. This is the best government the settlement movement has ever had—but we don’t advance sovereignty through opposition bills,” he said. “We exercise sovereignty every day by ensuring Hamas won’t control Gaza and that Gaza will be demilitarized. Under the right conditions, sovereignty will come as well.”