Israeli far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said on Wednesday that work is underway to draw maps for annexing lands in the occupied West Bank, which are among the territories Palestinians seek to establish a future state on. However, it is not yet clear whether Smotrich has the support of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in this endeavor.

Smotrich stood at a press conference in Jerusalem in front of a map indicating the possibility of annexing most of the West Bank lands except for six large Palestinian cities including Ramallah and Nablus.

Earlier, the far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich urged on Wednesday the annexation of vast areas of the occupied West Bank, after a group of countries expressed their intention to recognize a Palestinian state.

Smotrich, using the name Israel gives to the West Bank occupied since 1967, said, “It is time to impose Israeli sovereignty on Judea and Samaria.” The minister added that this step “will eliminate the idea of dividing our small land.”

Maximum Land Area

Smotrich called for annexing “all open areas” of the land, saying “the supreme principle for imposing sovereignty… is the slogan: maximum land area with the least number of (Palestinian) residents.”

He added that the settlement administration under the Ministry of Defense has recently drawn maps imposing Israeli sovereignty on about 82% of the West Bank area.

Recognition of Palestinian State

On Tuesday, Belgium joined Western countries that announced their intention to recognize the State of Palestine at the United Nations General Assembly this month, following similar announcements from Australia, Canada, and France.

Smotrich described the upcoming meeting in New York as an attempt by the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah “to harm the State of Israel.”

He added, “Applying sovereignty in Judea and Samaria is a preventive step against the planned political attack against us, and against attempts to jeopardize our existence and the future of our children.”

In a statement, the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned “in the strongest terms the statements and positions made by the extremist minister Smotrich, especially those related to inciting calls to deepen settlement and annex the occupied West Bank.”