Dear esteemed members of political parties and global popular organizations,

 

Dear colleagues in international societal, media, human rights, and labor frameworks,

 

We extend to you the greetings of resilient and steadfast Palestine, standing firm on its land as it faces the genocide being inflicted upon its people across all historic Palestine. We bring to your attention the Zionist annexation plan, which has become an official strategy of the occupying entity. This plan is being implemented daily before the eyes of the international community without encountering the decisive and effective international positions and tools it warrants.

 

Dear comrades,

 

In addition to the war crimes and daily massacres being committed in Gaza in full view of the cameras and broadcast live, another crime has been unfolding for some time in the occupied Palestinian territories (the West Bank and East Jerusalem). This is happening amidst international inaction and silence, which only encourages Israel to proceed with its crime known as the annexation plan. This plan is coupled with American efforts to legitimize the use of the term "Judea and Samaria," the Israeli-preferred terminology rooted in Zionist myths and historical fabrications, rather than the internationally recognized term "occupied West Bank," which includes Jerusalem and is deemed occupied Palestinian land under international resolutions. The latest of these is the United Nations General Assembly resolution in September, which declared that "Israel's presence in the occupied Palestinian territory is illegal and must end."

 

Western countries are fully aware of the seriousness and danger of the annexation plan. They also understand that the occupation has transitioned from a colonial occupation of the West Bank to a settler-colonial project aiming to annex large swathes of West Bank land and impose Israeli sovereignty over them. Annexation goes beyond occupation; it is the most extreme and dangerous stage the occupation can reach. This process is advancing gradually and strategically, avoiding sharp confrontations with the Palestinians while serving Israel’s interests and tactical goals.

 

The danger of annexation at this stage lies in the fact that it has now become the official strategy driving Israel’s actions. All measures and decisions, whether military or “civil,” undertaken in the West Bank will align with this plan. To put it more precisely, Israel’s approach to the West Bank and Jerusalem in the coming phase will focus on preparing the infrastructure to facilitate the annexation process. Meanwhile, some international parties continue to discuss the so-called "two-state solution," treating the plan as an extension of traditional occupation policies or as something that does not fundamentally alter the nature of the conflict. As a result, their response is limited to nominal opposition and superficial condemnations that fail to reach the ears of Israeli leaders.

 

Such positions are fueled by flawed analyses suggesting that annexation will be limited to small areas, downplaying the plan's threat to pacify public sentiment. However, realities on the ground confirm that the annexation plan will encompass the entire West Bank from all directions. For instance, when Israel annexes settlements, it effectively gains control over all surrounding and interconnected cities. Additionally, crossings, bypass roads near the settlements, and so-called military zones will remain under Israeli control. In practical terms, this means that Israel is moving toward the annexation of all West Bank lands, while considering the current Palestinian population density, which far exceeds the settler population (around 145 settlements housing approximately 800,000 settlers compared to about 3.5 million Palestinians).

 

There are numerous indications that the official announcement of the annexation plan is approaching. Various scenarios are being discussed regarding the method and timing of this announcement. However, a review of reports published in the Israeli media reveals that it will consist of a series of key components and stages:

 

1. The transfer of powers from the Israeli military to civilian authorities controlled by settler leaders, with direct support from ministers and senior officials in the military and government, will lead to the transition of responsibilities from an occupation authority to a civilian authority enforcing Israeli law. This process has already begun over the past few months.

 

2. The reclassification of certain areas in the West Bank from Area B to Area C, imposing full Israeli control over them, directly contradicts the Oslo Accords. Palestinian administrative bodies may retain limited functional roles without any security, military, or sovereign authority over these areas. These regions include the Jordan Valley, settlements and their surroundings, and areas adjacent to the separation wall. Gradual measures will also be implemented to displace Palestinians living in Area C, either through financial incentives or by applying security, military, and administrative pressures.

 

3. Massive budgets are being allocated for settlement construction in the West Bank. Israeli media reports indicate that the far-right Israeli government is reaching out to wealthy Jewish donors in the United States and Europe to fund large-scale settlement projects that will be announced later.

 

4. Providing military support to settler groups under the pretext of ensuring their security. A primary focus of some Israeli government ministers has become the distribution of weapons to settlers in the West Bank. According to available data, settlers now possess approximately one million firearms—a significant number compared to their population size.

 

5. Enacting laws and military orders from various ministries to intensify restrictions on Palestinians, including demolishing homes and prohibiting construction. Meanwhile, Jewish settlers are encouraged to build and are offered incentives to move to the West Bank.

 

6. To make the establishment of a sovereign Palestinian state on its land and territory impossible, Israel will not stop at annexing selected Palestinian lands. As part of the annexation plan, Israel intends to divide the West Bank into over 170 isolated areas disconnected from each other. This concept of fragmentation was previously discussed during the signing of the Oslo Accords, with proposals likening the West Bank to Bantustans.

 

Regardless of international positions, particularly those of Western countries complicit in Israeli schemes through their silence and partnership, the annexation plan proceeds as intended. Even if delayed or slowed down for tactical reasons, its implementation follows the strategic framework Israel has pursued since the Nakba by imposing facts on the ground for both the Palestinian people and the world. This approach is not a single-phase process but rather consists of gradual, phased steps that collectively build the complete strategic structure of the annexation plan—what is referred to as "gradual annexation."

 

For all these reasons, we reiterate that Western countries are politically hypocritical when they claim to support the so-called "two-state solution" while criticizing Israeli plans in the West Bank for violating international legitimacy and law. They provide Israel with all the means for war, killing, and aggression, while imposing only minimal sanctions on a handful of individuals. Meanwhile, the leaders of extremism and fascism in Israel continue with their plans undeterred by Western positions or criticisms from international organizations. 

 

The Palestinian national movement remains in a phase of national liberation, meaning the current task for the Palestinian people and their political and popular forces is to resist the occupier and its infrastructure through all available forms of struggle. This requires the support of freedom-loving people around the world. Therefore, we address you on behalf of the "Department of Foreign Affairs in the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine," urging political parties, societal frameworks, institutions, unions, and opinion-makers to support our people in their resistance to thwart the annexation plan. Just as we have together defeated Zionist projects and plans aimed at eliminating the Palestinian cause, we are confident in your support for our people and their national struggle to live freely on their land, free from occupation—an occupation whose existence on our land remains entirely unacceptable and necessitates resistance in all its forms.

 

Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine

          - Foreign Affairs Department -

  December 2024