De Jure

De jure annexation is the formal assertion of sovereignty over occupied territory and a change in its legal status, usually through legislation that extends the state’s domestic law to the territory it occupies. International law forbids annexation since it violates the prohibition on acquiring territory by force, and the international community does not recognize it as lawful. Although Israel has not declared a formal annexation of the West Bank, a series of legislative and administrative measures conferring powers on the Israeli authorities are regarded as effecting de jure annexation of the West Bank, or at least parts of it.