
A new solution to end Jewish and Arab claims to sovereignty in Judea and Samaria (West Bank) has emerged this past week: Israel will annex 82% under a plan proposed by Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich with the remaining 18% becoming exclaves of Jordan as predicated in the 2022 Hashemite Kingdom of Palestine solution authored by Ali Shihabi – an advisor to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman (Smotrich-Shihabi solution).
The Jordanian-ruled exclaves would comprise the major Arab towns located in Judea and Samaria (West Bank):Ramallah, Nablus, Jenin, Tulkarem, Jericho and Hebron - with their citizens regaining Jordanian citizenship - first acquired in 1949 and lost in 1988.
Advertisement
An exclave is a part of a country that is geographically separated from the main territory, with no direct land connection.
Current exclaves include:
- Cabinda Province (Angola): A part of Angola that is isolated from the rest of the country by the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
- Point Roberts, Washington (USA): A U.S. exclave separated from the contiguous U.S. by Canadian territory.
- Campione d'Italia (Italy): An Italian exclave completely surrounded by Switzerland.
The Smotrich-Shihabi solution would consign the United Nations solution to create a new independent Palestinian Arab State between Israel and Jordan (two-state solution) to the diplomatic graveyard.
The UN solution had been surreptitiously inserted into Security Council Resolution 2735 - drafted by the Biden administration - and adopted on 10 June 2024 – in which the Security Council:
Reiterates its unwavering commitment to the vision of the two-State solution where two democratic States, Israel and Palestine, live side by side in peace within secure and recognized borders, consistent with international law and relevant UN resolutions, and in this regard stresses the importance of unifying the Gaza Strip with the West Bank under the Palestinian Authority
Advertisement
Israel's Knesset firmly rejected this UN proposal by 68 votes to 9 on 18 July 2024:
The Knesset of Israel firmly opposes the establishment of a Palestinian state west of Jordan. The establishment of a Palestinian state in the heart of the Land of Israel will pose an existential danger to the State of Israel and its citizens, perpetuate the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and destabilize the region
Israel's Knesset subsequently passed the following resolution on 24 July 2025 by a majority of 71 votes to 13:
Discuss in our Forums
See what other readers are saying about this article!
Click here to read & post comments.
5 posts so far.