US President Donald Trump on Thursday strongly dismissed calls by some far-right Israeli politicians to annex the West Bank, making it clear that he would not allow Israel to apply sovereignty to the region or stunt possibilities of a Palestinian state.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been under pressure from friends to annex, a step that has been a concern for Arab leaders, some of whom met with Trump on Tuesday at the United Nations General Assembly.
"I will not allow Israel to annex the West Bank. Nope, I will not allow it. It's not going to happen," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.
"There's been enough. It's time to stop now," he said.
Last week, France, Britain, Canada, Australia, and Portugal were among the countries to recognize a Palestinian state, in part to save the two-state solution, something Israel vehemently rejected.Trump spoke as Netanyahu made his way to New York to give a speech to the UN on Friday. The office of the prime minister said that he would have some words regarding Trump's statements when he returned to Israel.
Israeli settlements have grown substantially since Israel took control of the West Bank during the 1967 war, with roads and infrastructure deeply entrenched in the land. Final approval was given to the E1 settlement plan, which would divide the West Bank and cut it off from East Jerusalem, in August, eliciting international outcry. Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, one of the leaders of Netanyahu's right-wing government, at the time stated that a Palestinian state is "being erased from the table."
Arab and Muslim countries threatened Trump earlier this week of the dire repercussions of any annexation of the West Bank, a threat the US president "understands very well," said Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud.
Approximately 700,000 Israeli settlers reside among 2.7 million Palestinians in the annexed East Jerusalem and West Bank, with Israel digging in its heels on relinquishing control over the West Bank in the face of the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks—where approximately 1,200 persons were killed and 251 hostages taken. Approximately 48 hostages, 20 of whom are presumed alive, are held.
The majority of the international community holds that Israeli settlements are illegal under international law, something Israel challenges based on historical and biblical arguments and arguing the need for settlements as necessary for strategic security.
At the same time, as world leaders gather at the UN, the US released a 21-point Middle East peace initiative to bring an end to the nearly two-year-long Israeli-Hamas war in Gaza. The initiative was presented to officials from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Egypt, Jordan, Turkey, Indonesia, and Pakistan, US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff said.
Trump, the most supportive ally of Israel in the international community, declared that he had meetings with Netanyahu and Middle Eastern country representatives on Thursday, indicating that a Gaza agreement may be imminent.
"We want the hostages, we want the bodies returned and we want to have peace in that part of the world. So we had some excellent discussions," he stated.
The Gaza war has elicited worldwide criticism. More than 65,000 Palestinians have been reported dead by local authorities, and some areas of the land are experiencing famine, a global monitor of hunger has said. Israeli attacks persist with at least 19 dead in airstrikes across Gaza on Thursday.
Efforts to deliver humanitarian relief are ongoing. Italy and Spain have sent naval vessels to aid the Global Sumud Flotilla, which is employing about 50 civilian boats to challenge Israel's naval blockade of Gaza. The flotilla has been under drone attack while on its mission.
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