As Donald Trump’s victory became apparent in last week's U.S. elections, Jewish West Bank settlement advocates popped bottles of champagne and danced to the Bee Gees at a winery in the heart of the occupied territory,

Israel’s fight against Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon is set to dominate the agenda at gatherings in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and the White House this week.

Israel’s far-right finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, has ordered preparations for the annexation of settlements in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

The idea is seen as illegal by most of the international community and could threaten Israel’s relations with its Arab allies.

Comments Monday by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich were the strongest display yet of how Trump’s election has emboldened Israeli hard-liners.

A top official in Israel is floating his plan to take sovereign control over the West Bank in 2025. Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced Monday at a faction meeting of his Religious Zionism party that he believes “the time has come to apply [Israel’s] sovereignty over the West Bank,