Israel's attorney general backs 'de facto West Bank annexation' measures, report says

Israel's attorney general, Gali Baharav-Miara, has reportedly supported government measures to extend civil control over the occupied West Bank, a step critics describe as de facto annexation. Baharav-Miara surprised ministers by backing Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, stating that the new policies align with the Ministry of Justice's interpretation of international law. The changes would expand Israel's civil control into Areas A and B of the West Bank, which have been under Palestinian Authority jurisdiction since the Oslo Accords. These measures also facilitate the private ownership of West Bank land by Jewish Israelis, potentially accelerating settlement expansion.