The bill states that “the State of Israel will apply its laws and sovereignty to the settlement areas in Judea and Samaria, in order to establish the status of these areas as an inseparable part of the sovereign State of Israel.”

Maoz is the sole representative in the legislature of Noam, a Jewish traditionalist party dedicated to protecting Orthodox social values with maximally Zionist positions.

In a statement following the approval of the bill, Maoz appealed to God and claimed the action would contribute to Israel’s “redemption and national revival.”

“The Holy One, blessed be He, gave the people of Israel the Land of Israel. Settlement in the Land of Israel is the redemption and national revival, settlement is what makes the Land of Israel flourish after two thousand years of exile,” Maoz said.

“In applying sovereignty to Judea and Samaria, we are making a correction that is long overdue,” he continued. “Since the government has been procrastinating, our job as members of Knesset is to do this.”

The bill will not be put before the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee for deliberation. It will require three additional readings before it can become a law.

Minister of Education Yoav Kisch pushed back on the initiative, not because he opposed the sentiment but because he believed the Israeli government had a better long-term strategy for taking control of the region.

“I deeply believe in sovereignty, but it is not achieved through opposition initiatives,” Kisch said. “We are building it every day on the ground.”

President Donald Trump’s administration has been vocally opposed to Israeli annexation of the West Bank. Such an aggressive political maneuver could stoke outrage from the White House and Israel’s Arab neighbors.

Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to United Arab Emirates President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, said in an Abu Dhabi interview on Thursday that “maximalist views” of the “Israeli right” are “no longer valid.”

“Some policies are no longer valid and should not be reincarnated. The maximalist views on the Palestinian issue are no longer valid; we have to address the issue that we have two contending nationalisms fighting on one piece of land, and that land has to be divided,” Gargash said at the NEXT Gulf Summit.

He continued, “Are we going to continue with this sort of maximalist views on how to address the Palestinian issue, for example, by the Israeli right, which has to understand that this is not going to go away?”

UAE Minister of State Lana Nusseibeh warned at the same summit that Israeli annexation of the West Bank would be a “red line” for his country.

The timing of the political infighting is inopportune — Netanyahu met with U.S. Vice President JD Vance on Wednesday to discuss next steps in implementing the Gaza peace plan.

Vance emphasized the view shared by the United States and Arab partners that an international agreement signed in Trump’s first term is bedrock on which to build the future of the Gaza Strip.

“We actually see this as an opportunity to build on the Abraham Accords,” Vance said at a press conference with Netanyahu. “I think this Gaza deal is a critical piece of unlocking the Abraham Accords.”

Vance shouted out the U.S.’s “friends in the Arab world,” who he said “are stepping up and volunteering to play a very positive role in this.”

Trump claimed earlier this week that multiple Middle East states have offered to send military personnel into the Gaza Strip if Hamas does not disarm.

VANCE VOICES OPTIMISM FOR GAZA CEASEFIRE AFTER CRACKS START TO SHOW

During the press conference, Netanyahu was questioned by a reporter on whether Israel is becoming a “puppet state” of the U.S. The prime minister balked at the idea.

“One week they say Israel controls the United States, a week later they say the United States controls Israel — this is hogwash,” Netanyahu said. “We have a partnership — an alliance of partners.”