Israeli far-right minister Bezalel Smotrich has declared that it is time to permanently erase the dividing boundaries between Areas A, B, and C in the occupied West Bank. His statement effectively signals a move toward Israeli territorial annexation. The remarks were reported on May 15, 2026.

Under the 1995 Oslo II Accord between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, the West Bank was divided into three administrative zones: Area A, comprising 21 percent of the land under full Palestinian control; Area B, covering 18 percent under partial Palestinian control; and Area C, making up 62 percent under Israeli security control. In February, the Israeli government approved major changes to land registration and civilian administration in the occupied West Bank.

Palestinian officials have described these Israeli measures as violations of the Oslo Accords and as steps toward deepening the occupation, according to the report.