Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday he intends to annex all Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, doubling down on an election promise he made five months ago, though he did not provide a timeframe.
"With God's help we will extend Jewish sovereignty to all the settlements as part of the [biblical] land of Israel, as part of the state of Israel," Netanyahu said in a speech in the West Bank settlement of Elkana, where he was attending a ceremony opening the school year.
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Hebrew University lecturer Yonatan Freeman told Bloomberg that Netanyahu is likely trying to cement support from the religious Zionist voting bloc, which might be vulnerable ahead of the country's September elections.
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