TEL AVIV/JERUSALEM (Reuters): U.S. Vice President JD Vance said on Thursday that President Donald Trump would oppose Israeli annexation of the occupied West Bank and that it would not happen, suggesting that a move by Israeli lawmakers to do so resembles a stupid “political stunt.”
A bill applying Israeli law to the West Bank, a move amounting to annexation of territory the Palestinians seek as part of a future independent state, won preliminary approval from Israeli lawmakers on Wednesday.
Asked by reporters about the vote, Vance said: “If it was a political move, it’s a very stupid move, and I personally take some insult from it.” »
Vance spoke after U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned that moves to annex territory captured by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war could endanger Trump’s plan to end the war in Gaza, which has so far resulted in a fragile ceasefire.
“The West Bank will not be annexed by Israel. President Trump’s policy is that the West Bank will not be annexed. That will always be our policy,” Vance said at the end of a two-day visit to Israel.
Vote sponsored by the far-right opposition
The vote was sponsored by a far-right opposition lawmaker who was until recently part of the ruling right-wing coalition, and supported by ultranationalists National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich. The reading passed by a vote of 25 to 24 from 120 lawmakers.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office later said the vote was a “deliberate political provocation” aimed at sowing division during Vance’s visit.
Netanyahu’s Likud party did not vote for the bill, he said, adding that without its support, attempts to legislate annexation of the West Bank were “unlikely to succeed.”
The United States has long been Israel’s strongest and most loyal ally, and the Trump administration is particularly close to Israel and wields considerable influence over its leaders.
Netanyahu has repeatedly ruled out the creation of a Palestinian state. His cabinet saw the idea of annexation as a response to major Western allies’ recent recognition of a Palestinian state to pressure Israel to end its devastating war in Gaza, but appeared to shelve it after Trump opposed it last month.
Top White House officials and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner visited Israel to try to keep alive the 13-day-old truce between Israel and Palestinian militants Hamas after two years of war that has upended the Middle East. Rubio is expected to arrive in Israel on Thursday.
The U.S. State Department said Rubio was visiting Israel to support implementation of Trump’s 20-point plan for Gaza, which envisions possible reconstruction and stable governance in the enclave as well as possible steps toward a Palestinian state.
Vance told reporters at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport that he “feels pretty good” about the Gaza ceasefire after holding talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, other senior officials and the military.
Israel and Hamas have reiterated their commitment to the US-brokered ceasefire, while accusing each other of repeated violations since it came into force on October 10.
The agreement has so far allowed the release of hostages held in Gaza in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, the handover of the bodies of some deceased hostages and a partial withdrawal of Israeli troops.
West Bank settlements
Hundreds of thousands of people live in Jewish settlements in the West Bank. The United Nations and much of the international community consider the settlements illegal under international law.
The Israeli government cites biblical and historical ties to the West Bank, territory it considers disputed, and opposes any measures aimed at creating a Palestinian state.
Settlements are a highly volatile issue that has emerged for decades as a major obstacle to peace in the Middle East, as they fragment the territory Palestinians want for a viable state.
Wednesday’s vote was the first of four needed to pass the law and coincided with Vance’s visit to Israel – a month after Trump said he would not allow Israel to annex the territory.
Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Turkey and 13 other Muslim-majority countries condemned the vote, as did major multilateral organizations representing Arab states and Muslim nations.
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