Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said on Wednesday (September 3) that maps are being drawn up for annexing territory in the occupied West Bank, land that Palestinians seek for a state, although it is unclear if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is on board. At a press conference in Jerusalem, Bezalel Smotrich stood before a map that suggested the possible annexation of most of the West Bank with the exception of six large Palestinian cities, including Ramallah and Nablus. Smotrich said he wanted "maximum territory and minimum (Palestinian) population" to be brought under Israeli sovereignty, urging Netanyahu to accept his plan that is being drawn up by a department under Smotrich's supervision in the Defence Ministry. Smotrich, a settler leader, has long called for annexation of the West Bank, which Israel captured in the 1967 Middle East war and which is among territories the Palestinians seek for a future independent state. Netanyahu's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the prime minister's position on the matter. Speaking after Smotrich made his remarks, an official from the United Arab Emirates said Israeli annexation of the West Bank would be a "red line" for the UAE, which established formal ties with Israel in 2020 under U.S.-brokered accords.

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VIDEO SHOWS: ISRAELI FINANCE MINISTER, FAR-RIGHT POLITICIAN BEZALEL SMOTRICH SAYING THAT HE WANTS TO APPLY ISRAELI SOVEREIGNTY TO 'MAXIMUM TERRITORY, MINIMUM POPULATION' IN THE WEST BANK

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SHOWS: JERUSALEM (SEPTEMBER 3, 2025) (REUTERS - Access all)

1. ISRAELI FINANCE MINISTER, FAR-RIGHT POLITICIAN BEZALEL SMOTRICH WALKING UP TO PODIUM

2. (SOUNDBITE) (Hebrew) ISRAELI FINANCE MINISTER BEZALEL SMOTRICH SAYING:

"The time has come to apply Israeli sovereignty to Judea and Samaria, to once and for all remove from the agenda the idea of dividing our tiny land and establishing a terror state in its centre."

3. SMOTRICH DURING NEWS CONFERENCE

4. (SOUNDBITE) (Hebrew) ISRAELI FINANCE MINISTER BEZALEL SMOTRICH SAYING:

"We have no desire to apply our sovereignty on population that wants to destroy us. Enemies should be fought against, not allowed a comfortable life. That is why the chief principle for applying sovereignty -- get it well into your heads, this is the slogan: Maximum territory, minimum population."

5. SMOTRICH DURING NEWS CONFERENCE

6. (SOUNDBITE) (Hebrew) ISRAELI FINANCE MINISTER BEZALEL SMOTRICH SAYING:

"Who can defend a state with such small strategic depth? And this is why the goal of the sovereignty is to, once and for all, remove the Palestinian state from the agenda. And this is done when applying (sovereignty) to all of the territory, other than Arab population centres, I have no interest in letting them enjoy what the state of Israel has to offer."

7. SMOTRICH THANKING JOURNALISTS, PEOPLE GETTING UP