The Creeping Annexation of the West Bank

Last week I drove the familiar route from Ramallah (in the occupied West Bank) to East Jerusalem (also Palestinian territory, illegally annexed by Israel). My attention was taken by a new brightly painted yellow gate at a small junction on the side of the road. In most other circumstances, a gate like this would be an innocuous thing, however here it is another piece in what many regard as the creeping annexation of the West Bank by Israel; something which if made reality would spell the end for any hopes for a just peace for the Palestinian people.

Restriction of movement

These gates have been a part of the West Bank landscape for decades, they are part of the infrastructure of the occupation, officially for security reasons, and ensure that Palestinian residents of the West Bank are denied the right to movement across the West Bank, including movement to and from East Jerusalem. The most visible of these restrictions is the “separation barrier”, a barrier of high concrete wall and fencing, which ostensibly separates the occupied Palestinian territory from Israel along the internationally recognised borders, but in reality cuts through Palestinian land (only 15% of the barrier is built on the actual border¹) preventing farmers accessing land freely, and cutting Palestinians off from accessing East Jerusalem without a special permit, which is rarely given. In addition to this, the presence of Israeli settlements across the West Bank (illegal under international law) further restricts movement – leading to Palestinian farmers being prevented from accessing their land or using certain roads by the Israeli military and settlers. The result is that areas without such movement restriction have been reduced to small islands outside of general Israeli military control. However, in the last 2 years in particular, in parallel with the war on Gaza, the reach of the Israeli military has grown and these islands have shrunk further.

The seperation wall severly restricts the freedom of movement of the Palestinian population.

© Pro Peace

Roadblocks are increasing

The yellow gate I saw is one of several that have been installed across the West Bank in recent weeks. The gates are colour-coded to reflect their purpose and who may pass through them. The yellow gates are typically open until a military order is given to close them. While, as noted, these gates have been a long-time feature of the occupation, what has been startling is that recently some of these gates are appearing in areas where previously they had not been present. A recent OCHA report² stated that since the start of September 2025, 27 road closures were put in place, including the installation of 18 gates like the one mentioned. This number is in addition to the overall 849 road closures in place, of which 288 were gates, most of which were installed in the early months of 2025³. While the gates are open, vehicles and people can pass freely, however, they represent an ominous threat of what can happen if they are closed. As OCHA notes “these gates pose a serious risk of movement restrictions if closed – potentially further disrupting access to services, workplaces, and key road arteries”⁴. The village of Sinjal, close to Ramallah, is a stark example of what these restrictions can mean. Since May 2025, the village has been shut off from its land by wire fencing and all but one entrance blocked, and even then, this entrance has a gate which can be closed by the Israeli military when they wish, effectively imprisoning the population of the village from accessing livelihoods, education, and hospitals⁵. The proliferation of gates and other roadblocks mean that this experience is increasing and the numbers of people impacted, and the frequency of these incidents, rapidly increasing.

Annexation of the West Bank

This suffocation of the Palestinian population of the West Bank runs in parallel with a surge in Israeli settlements, a massive increase in Israeli settler violence towards Palestinians, and regular Israeli military incursions into Palestinian cities, towns and villages. What has become frighteningly evident is that we are witnessing a rapid acceleration towards Israeli annexation of the West Bank. In May 2025, the Israeli NGO Peace Now, in the wake of the Israeli cabinet’s announcement of 22 new settlements for the West Bank, wrote “The Israeli government no longer pretends otherwise: the annexation of the Occupied Territories and expansion of settlements is its central goal”⁶. And indeed the Israeli government has not made a secret of this goal, and the ever-encroaching settlements and increased movement restrictions have rendered the West Bank in a state of “de facto Annexation”. Annexation would mean that, against international law, Israel would declare the Palestinian territory as part of the Israeli state, nullifying hopes for a long-term just peace for the Palestinian and Israeli people and a Palestinian state for the Palestinian people.

Impact on local people

For Pro Peace, our partners, and their communities the potential complete annexation of the West Bank is not simply a political talking point, not another headline that we can shake our heads at and move to the next terrible story. It is a terrifying reality that would undo lives and the hope for a peaceful just future in the region. Even now, the creeping annexation means that our colleagues cannot always reach the office from the West Bank, and when they do they run a gauntlet of checkpoints, potential road closures, settler violence and Israeli military harassment. Our partners and the communities they work with cannot leave this reality behind when the work day ends, they go home to the communities closed off by metal gates, they cross through the flying checkpoints and endure humiliation, harassment and the threat of violence, and they fear for the future of their children growing up into a future where getting to their classrooms and university lectures is tinged with anxiety and fear for their safety.

A new tipping point

After years of warning by Palestinian, Israeli and International voices of this creeping annexation, it seems that in recent days a tipping point has been reached with the international community: Following US president Trump's warning to Israel not to annex the West Bank, Germany and UK⁷ followed suit, with the SPD indicating that sanctions would be supported by them if annexation goes ahead⁸. France's president Macron has also stated that annexation will be his government's "red line"⁹. Alas these statements and declarations beg the question, while welcomed, is it all too little too late? For annexation to be prevented there has to be genuine effective pressure placed on Israel by the international community. It is heartening to see civil society across the world stand in solidarity with Palestinian and Isareli groups calling for an end to the occupation and a ceasefire in Gaza. The voices of civil society matter and can have real influence. Here in the Palestine and Israel programme, we hope that our supporters, who we are sure also share our vision for a just peace, will raise their voices with us.

We demand that the German government:

• end to military cooperation with Israel, that could be used in war crimes and crimes against humanity.
• works for an end to the decades-long displacement and the illegal occupation of Palestinian territory.
• supports international jurisdiction without restrictions and fully implement its decisions.
• works towards the realization of the right to individual and collective self-determination and equality for Palestinians.
• do everything possible to end the war on Gaza and to support an investigation of the war crimes that have happened there.