MOSCOW, July 23. /TASS/. The Israel Defense Forces’ (IDF) mission in the West Bank remains the same as before even after the Knesset passed a resolution to annex the territory, IDF representative Anna Ukolova told TASS.
"For now, the army continues to conduct operational actions in the same manner as before. Their mission is to eliminate threats and terrorist activity. The IDF operates within the framework of Israeli law and the decisions that the government makes," she said.
Previously, the Knesset (parliament) adopted a resolution extending the sovereignty of the Jewish state to the West Bank of the Jordan River. The bill was supported by 71 deputies, and 13 opposed. Israel regularly conducts military operations in the West Bank of the Jordan River and announces plans to expand Jewish settlements.
Israel's continued expansion of settlements in the West Bank is considered one of the main obstacles to resolving the decades-long Palestinian-Israeli conflict. In 2016, the UN Security Council adopted a resolution demanding that Israel immediately cease settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian territories, but Israel refused to comply with it.