Trump says he ‘will not allow’ Israel to annex occupied West Bank

United States President Donald Trump has said that Israel cannot annex the occupied West Bank, a connection that puts him firmly astatine likelihood with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and members of his ultranationalist authorities who person been pressing for annexation of the Palestinian territory.

Trump made his astonishment remarks portion speaking to reporters connected Thursday, up of Prime Minister Netanyahu’s accomplishment successful the US to code the United Nations General Assembly successful New York connected Friday.

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“ I volition not let Israel to annex the West Bank. Nope. I volition not allow. It’s not gonna happen,” Trump said.

Asked whether helium had discussed his plans to artifact immoderate Israeli annexation attempts with Netanyahu, Trump was noncommittal.

“Yeah, but I’m not gonna let it. Whether I spoke to him oregon not, I’m not allowing Israel to annex the West Bank. There’s been enough. It’s clip to halt now, OK?” the US president said.

Trump did not connection details of what actions helium would instrumentality to forestall the imaginable annexation of the occupied West Bank, and analysts questioned whether the notoriously capricious US person would alteration his mind.

Speaking to Al Jazeera, Mouin Rabbani, an expert and non-resident chap astatine the Qatar-based Center for Conflict and Humanitarian Studies, said Trump’s connection was a “positive” development, but helium questioned whether the President would “follow through”.

“One attaches worth to Trump’s words astatine their ain peril,” Rabbani said.

“So the question present becomes, is helium going to guarantee that Israel does not annex the West Bank, and if it does, what volition helium bash astir it? Will his caput possibly beryllium changed by different speech that helium has?”

Trump’s comments perchance spot his medication connected a collision people with the far-right Israeli authorities led by Netanyahu, members of which person made the annexation of the occupied West Bank and Gaza a ceremonial governmental goal.

In July, Israeli lawmakers voted 71-to-13 successful favour of a non-binding motion successful the Knesset calling for the annexation of the West Bank.

The connection was initially brought by Israel’s concern curate and far-right governmental leader, Bezalel Smotrich, who lives successful an amerciable colony successful the occupied West Bank and holds a presumption wrong Israel’s Ministry of Defence wherever helium oversees the medication of amerciable settlements connected occupied Palestinian land.

Smotrich and different far-right members of Netanyahu’s governing conjugation person besides voiced staunch absorption to efforts to scope a woody to extremity Israel’s warfare connected Gaza, adjacent threatening to topple the authorities if an statement is reached.

In beforehand of Australia, France, Britain, Canada, Portugal and different countries moving to recognise Palestinian statehood, Smotrich unveiled a program allowing for the operation of thousands of homes successful a arguable amerciable colony that bisects the occupied West Bank.

The monolithic colony enlargement connected occupied land, erstwhile completed, “finally buries the thought of a Palestinian state, due to the fact that determination is thing to recognise and nary 1 to recognise”, helium said successful August.

“Anyone successful the satellite who tries contiguous to recognise a Palestinian authorities volition person an reply from america connected the ground,” helium added.

Israeli colony successful the occupied West Bank has been ongoing since 1967, stretching heavy into Palestinian territory and carving up the scenery acknowledgment to a web of roads and different infrastructure controlled by the Israeli authorities and military.

The International Court of Justice ruled successful July 2024 that Israeli settlements successful the occupied West Bank are amerciable and indispensable beryllium discontinued and the onshore returned to Palestinians.

Israel has been a cornerstone of US overseas argumentation successful the Middle East, and the Israeli authorities is heavy babelike connected financial, subject and quality enactment from the US to support its ongoing run successful Gaza, the occupied West Bank and parts of Lebanon and Syria.

Any reversal of US argumentation could trigger a governmental situation successful Israel, peculiarly among the far-right parties who marque up Netanyahu’s conjugation government.

Referring to Gaza concisely connected Thursday, Trump described the wide concern arsenic “really bad, precise bad”.

Despite suggesting a bid woody could hap “soon”, Trump offered nary details oregon clarity but to accidental that “very, truly bully talks” had been held with leaders of Arab states and Netanyahu.

Earlier this week, Trump met with the leaders of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE, Egypt, Jordan, Turkiye, Indonesia and Pakistan connected the sidelines of the UN General Assembly to sermon ending Israel’s ongoing subject battle connected Gaza.