Israel is weighing the annexation of parts of the occupied West Bank, three Israeli officials said, just as several Western nations move towards recognizing Palestinian statehood this month.

It’s one of the steps Israel is considering in retaliation for the anticipated recognition of Palestinian statehood by France, Australia, Canada, Portugal and the United Kingdom, which would join more than 140 nations that already recognize a Palestinian state.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held an initial discussion on the matter last week, but the security cabinet has yet to discuss the matter in detail and no decision has been made yet, the officials told CNN on condition of anonymity.

Israel captured the West Bank from Jordan in the 1967 war and began establishing Jewish settlemen

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