Israel weighs annexation of parts of the West Bank including Area C

Israel is weighing the formal annexation of parts of the occupied West Bank, including potentially the territory known as Area C, in meetings this week, senior Israeli and international officials said, a move framed by some Israeli ministers as a response to Western countries preparing to recognize a Palestinian state at the United Nations in September. Discussions are underway inside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's security cabinet and among top ministers, officials said, but it remains unclear what, if any, concrete steps will follow.

Three Israeli officials told reporters the idea of extending Israeli sovereignty over parts of the West Bank was on the agenda for a security cabinet meeting, which ministers expected to hold late on Sunday and again in a broader ministerial session this week. Where any sovereignty would be applied is undetermined. Options under discussion range from applying authority to individual settlements to broader swathes such as the Jordan Valley or all of Area C, the latter comprising about 60 percent of the West Bank, a European official told the French president's Middle East adviser.

Hard line members of the governing coalition have urged...