Israeli leaders have long desired to annex the West Bank, and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich recently announced plans to do so in 2025. The settler movement is now firmly established in Israeli politics, and the incoming Trump administration is supportive of Israel's actions. However, a full-scale annexation of the West Bank would hinder any potential peace deal. Annexation would formalize Israel's system of apartheid and lead to the acceleration of ethnic cleansing. It would also spark a stronger Palestinian rights movement and expose the illusion of Israel as a democracy.