Washington (TDI): US President Donald Trump declared on Thursday that he would not permit Israel to annex the West Bank, dismissing demands from some far-right Israeli politicians who have urged the move as a way to extinguish hopes for a Palestinian state.
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump was clear, “I will not allow Israel to annex the West Bank. Nope, I will not allow it. It’s not going to happen. There’s been enough. It’s time to stop now.”
The issue has resurfaced as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces pressure from his coalition partners to advance annexation plans. The idea has raised concern among Arab states, a number of whose leaders held talks with Trump earlier this week on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.
In recent days, France, Britain, Canada, Australia, and Portugal have moved to recognize a Palestinian state, a step they say is necessary to keep the two-state solution alive. Israel strongly condemned the decisions. Netanyahu, who landed in New York on Thursday ahead of his UN address, has not yet responded publicly to Trump’s remarks.
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Since Israel captured the West Bank in the 1967 war, its settlements have steadily expanded, linked by Israeli-controlled roads and infrastructure that fragment Palestinian territory. One of the most controversial projects, the E1 plan, formally approved in August, would effectively sever the West Bank in two and cut it off from East Jerusalem. Israel’s finance minister Bezalel Smotrich, a hardline nationalist, said at the time that the very idea of a Palestinian state was “being erased from the table.”
Most of the world views the settlements as illegal under international law, while Israel insists they are justified by historic and biblical ties and provide strategic security depth.
Alongside the UN gathering, Washington circulated a 21-point peace framework aimed at ending the nearly two-year war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas. US envoy Steve Witkoff said the plan was shared with officials from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Egypt, Jordan, Turkiye, Indonesia, and Pakistan, according to Reuters.
Trump, after speaking with Netanyahu and regional leaders on Thursday, suggested progress was possible. “We want the hostages back, we want the bodies back, and we want peace in that region,” he said. “We had some very good talks.”
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As condemnation of Israel’s military campaign mounts, humanitarian efforts are intensifying. Italy and Spain have dispatched naval vessels to help protect an aid flotilla of around 50 civilian boats—known as the Global Sumud Flotilla—after it came under drone attack while attempting to breach Israel’s blockade and deliver supplies to Gaza.
