Annexation is now supported by many segments of the mainstream Israeli right, including by officials and parties with representation in the last government. The Likud Central Committee voted to endorse the application of civilian law to the settlements in 2017, and prominent figures from that party, such as Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein, have spoken publicly in favor of such a move. In the lead up to the 2019 Knesset elections, all Likud MKs seeking re-election, including Benjamin Netanyahu, endorsed annexation in some form. West Bank annexation is also a major policy point for the constituent factions of the Union of Right-Wing Parties.

A network of right-wing NGOs support and lobby these public officials to ensure annexation climbs to the top of the Israeli national agenda. The Sovereignty Movement was partly responsible for rallying support in the Likud Central Committee to endorse the application of civilian law in Area C. Regavim, a group co-founded by MK Bezalel Smotrich, works to oppose Palestinian construction in the West Bank, as well as Bedouin construction inside Israel.

Annexation threatens to impose serious security, economic, institutional, and political problems on Israel. With at least 60 percent of the West Bank (Area C) officially absorbed to Israel, the Palestinian Authority may abandon any pretense of supporting a two-state solution (its raison d’etre as a transitional entity), precipitating its demise and the collapse of its security forces, which presently coordinate with Israeli forces. This would force Israeli forces to assume a policing function in dense Palestinian urban centers, most of which have been under PA control for over two decades. Meanwhile, rogue remnants of the PA Security Forces could pose a serious terror threat.

If Israel annexes the West Bank in part or in whole, it will also have to restore basic services previously provided by the PA. The alternative is to face a humanitarian catastrophe. Bringing the West Bank’s nearly three million Palestinians into the Israeli social services system will create a severe budgetary strain for the state, on top of the already significant costs security issues will create.

Then there are the institutional questions for Israel as a state which claims both a Jewish and democratic character. Most annexation programs, including the so-called “stability plan,” avoid giving citizenship to the more than two million Palestinians outside of Area C. However, annexation would likely permanently preclude the possibility of Palestinian independence. This would leave Israel either perpetually administering disenfranchised Palestinians through an undemocratic arrangement or conferring citizenship to a large non-Jewish population, thus creating a binational state in which neither side fully realizes its right to self-determination.

There is also a risk of sanctions. The unilateral acquisition of territory violates international laws and norms. If the 2014 Russian annexation of Crimea portends anything about the ramifications of West Bank annexation, it is that Israel could face severe penalties. While the United States may not suddenly rupture its relationship with Israel, diplomatic progress with Europe and the Arab world could be undermined or completely undone.