{
  "id": 10238036,
  "title": "Israeli minister calls for West Bank war, annexation of Lebanon, Gaza areas",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/27/israeli-minister-calls-for-west-bank-war-annexation-of-lebanon-gaza-10238036",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-27T14:29:26.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Gulf News",
    "slug": "gulf-news",
    "url": "https://gulfnews.com/world/mena/israeli-minister-calls-for-west-bank-war-annexation-of-lebanon-gaza-areas-2-1.500689731"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Israeli far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called for annexing parts of south Lebanon and the Gaza Strip, and initiating a \"war\" against Palestinians in the West Bank during a recent podcast. The \"yellow line\" in Gaza signifies the area already under Israeli military control following a recent war initiated by Hamas's attack on October 7, 2023. Smotrich advocates for \"de facto sovereignty\" in the West Bank, urging the dismantling of the Palestinian Authority that supports terrorism.\n\nVarious Israeli political figures, including those in the ruling coalition led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and opposition parties, oppose the establishment of a Palestinian state. The country is set to hold elections on October 27, with Netanyahu seeking re-election. Smotrich's call for war is deemed an explicit attempt to escalate tensions, annex territory, and undermine the prospects of an independent Palestinian state, according to the Palestinian Authority.\n\nSince the outbreak of war in Gaza, the West Bank has witnessed a surge in violence, with at least 1,110 Palestinians killed by Israeli soldiers or settlers, and at least 49 Israelis, including civilians and security personnel, killed in Palestinian attacks or Israeli military operations. Smotrich dismisses settlers' violence against Palestinians as perpetrated by a \"handful of rioters.\"\n\nThe attorney general has postponed the deadline for construction bids for a major settlement project in the occupied West Bank, known as the E1 plan, in order to prevent its use for election propaganda. The planned settlement would further isolate Israeli-annexed East Jerusalem from the rest of the West Bank.",
  "summary": "Smotrich calls for West Bank war, Lebanon annexation",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 9,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Middle East Eye",
        "title": "'Comprehensive closure': Israel to shut down all West Bank crossings, Wafa reports",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/27/comprehensive-closure-israel-to-shut-down-all-west-bank-crossings",
        "published": "2026-09-27T08:47:03.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Jerusalem Post",
        "title": "IDF reinforces West Bank troop deployment amid concern of terror attacks over holidays",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/27/idf-reinforces-west-bank-troop-deployment-amid-concern-of-terror",
        "published": "2026-09-27T11:00:10.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Hindustan Times - World News",
        "title": "Israel minister's call for war, E1 settlement plan: A look at the West Bank crisis",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/27/israel-ministers-call-for-war-e1-settlement-plan-a-look-at-the-west",
        "published": "2026-09-27T12:55:54.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Times of Israel",
        "title": "Smotrich: Israel must ‘go to war’ in West Bank, ‘do there what we did in Gaza’",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/27/smotrich-israel-must-go-to-war-in-west-bank-do-there-what-we-did-in",
        "published": "2026-09-27T13:17:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Dawn",
        "title": "Israeli minister calls for West Bank war, annexation of Lebanon, Gaza areas",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/27/israeli-minister-calls-for-west-bank-war-annexation-of-lebanon-gaza",
        "published": "2026-09-27T13:30:17.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Al Jazeera",
        "title": "Israel’s Smotrich calls for ‘war’ in West Bank: Rhetoric or real threat?",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/27/israels-smotrich-calls-for-war-in-west-bank-rhetoric-or-real-threat",
        "published": "2026-09-27T14:03:45.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Free Malaysia Today",
        "title": "Israeli attorney general defers bidding deadline for West Bank settlement project",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/27/israeli-attorney-general-defers-bidding-deadline-for-west-bank",
        "published": "2026-09-27T14:37:12.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The National UAE",
        "title": "Israel's Smotrich calls for war in West Bank and dismantling of Palestinian Authority",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/27/israels-smotrich-calls-for-war-in-west-bank-and-dismantling-of",
        "published": "2026-09-27T15:13:30.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}