ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
Updated:

The Knesset's approval of advancing a bill to apply Israeli sovereignty in the West Bank poses a threat to the Gaza ceasefire deal, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio commented on Wednesday night.

"They passed a vote in the Knesset, but the president [Donald Trump] has made clear that’s not something we’d be supportive of right now," he told reporters on the tarmac before boarding his flight to depart for Israel. "We think there’s potential for it to threaten the peace deal."

"They’re a democracy, people are going to have their votes, people are going to take these positions, but at this time we think it might be counterproductive," he added.

The bill Rubio referred to is titled “Application of Israeli Sovereignty in Judea and Samaria, 2025,” and was initiated by far Right MK Avi Maoz (Noam).

The vote passed by a narrow margin of 25-24 following a heated discussion in the Knesset. It will now be transferred to the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, where it will need to be brought up for discussion before undergoing a second and third vote in the plenum.

Hamas terrorists stand guard on the day that hostages held in Gaza since the deadly October 7, 2023 attack, are handed over to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), as part of a US-brokered Gaza deal, in Khan Younis, October 13, 2025.
Hamas terrorists stand guard on the day that hostages held in Gaza since the deadly October 7, 2023 attack, are handed over to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), as part of a US-brokered Gaza deal, in Khan Younis, October 13, 2025. (credit: REUTERS/Ramadan Abed)

Hamas released a statement decrying the bill, saying the move “reflects the ugly face of the colonial occupation” in a statement on Wednesday.

The terror group's statement called the bill a "flagrant violation of all relevant international laws and resolutions," while also arguing that Israel "insists on continuing its attempts to 'legitimize' settlements and impose Zionist 'sovereignty' over the occupied Palestinian territories."

It continued, "We affirm that the occupation's frantic attempts to annex West Bank lands are invalid and illegitimate and will not change the fact that the West Bank is Palestinian territory according to history, international law, and the Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice issued in 2024."

Rubio to visit Israel on Thursday

Rubio is set to arrive in Israel on Thursday for a 48-hour trip.

His arrival will follow that of US Vice President JD Vance, who touched down in Israel on Tuesday. US President Donald Trump's envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff are also in Israel.

This is a developing story.

Amichai Stein, Keshet Neev, and Reuters contributed to this report.