Sovereignty in all but name : Israel’s quickening annexation of the West Bank

Title page 1

Contents 2

Executive Summary 4

I. Introduction 7

II. Reconfiguring the Occupation 10

A. Splitting Civilian from Military Control 10

B. A New Opportunity for Settlement Expansion 13

III. Backstory: Nearly Half a Century of "Creeping Annexation" 17

A. The De Facto Extension of Israeli Control 17

B. The Incremental Extension of Israeli Law to the West Bank 19

IV. What Comes Next? 22

A. Driving toward Formal Annexation 22

B. Attacking the Palestinian Authority 26

C. Upping the Tempo 29

V. An Unresolved Question 34

VI. Coming to Grips with Reality 38

VII. Conclusion 45

Appendix A: Upping the Tempo of Annexation 46

Appendix B: About the International Crisis Group 47

Appendix C: Reports and Briefings on the Middle East and North Africa since 2022 48

Appendix D: International Crisis Group Board of Trustees 50