The Prime Minister’s Office blasted opposition MKs for pushing a surprise sovereignty vote during JD Vance’s Israel visit, calling it a “deliberate provocation.”
In a rare and sharply worded English statement, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) on Thursday condemned the Knesset’s preliminary vote to apply Israeli sovereignty over Judea and Samaria, describing it as a “deliberate political provocation” aimed at embarrassing Israel during a crucial diplomatic visit by U.S. Vice President JD Vance.
“The Knesset vote on annexation was a deliberate political provocation by the opposition to sow discord during Vice President JD Vance’s visit to Israel,” the PMO declared. The statement clarified that the controversial bills were initiated solely by opposition lawmakers and had no backing from the Likud party or its religious coalition partners.
The PMO singled out MK Yuli Edelstein—the only Likud member to vote in favor—as a “disgruntled” politician recently removed from his committee chairmanship, signaling that his move did not reflect the party line. Without Likud’s support, the statement stressed, “the bills are unlikely to go anywhere.”
Coalition Chairman MK Ofir Katz later announced that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had ordered an immediate freeze on any sovereignty-related legislation. Katz explained that the directive was issued after several coalition members defied Netanyahu’s position, allowing the opposition’s symbolic sovereignty bill to pass by a single vote.
The motion, submitted by Noam Party leader Avi Maoz and supported by Avigdor Liberman’s Yisrael Beytenu, proposed extending Israeli sovereignty over Judea, Samaria, and the city of Maale Adumim. The bills passed narrowly—Maoz’s by one vote, and Liberman’s by 32-9—setting off a political storm in Jerusalem and Washington alike.
The Prime Minister’s strong statement came amid criticism from Vice President JD Vance, who blasted the Knesset vote as “a weird and stupid political stunt,” and from U.S. President Donald Trump, who told TIME Magazine that Israel “will not” move ahead with sovereignty, warning it could cost Jerusalem “all of its U.S. support.”
Israeli political analysts see the PMO’s statement as a move to protect Israel’s strategic alliance with Washington and maintain the delicate regional balance Trump’s peace framework has created—while quietly reaffirming that, at the right time, sovereignty over Judea and Samaria remains Israel’s ultimate national aspiration.
