Trump says he won't let Netanyahu annex the West Bank
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Netanyahu holds a press conference in Jerusalem. Photo: Nathan Howard/Pool/AFP via Getty
President Trump said Thursday that he won't allow Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to annex parts of the occupied West Bank.
Why it matters: Trump's public comments, which came after similar private assurances to Arab leaders, will likely kill Netanyahu's annexation plans.
What he is saying: "I will not allow Israel to annex the West Bank ... there's been enough. It's time to stop now," Trump said, adding that he'd discussed the issue directly with Netanyahu.
Driving the news: The Netanyahu government has been considering annexing large portions of the West Bank later this month in response to the recognition of a Palestinian state by several Western countries.
- The United Arab Emirates has told the Trump administration that Israeli annexations would harm the Abraham Accords, Trump's main foreign policy accomplishment from his first term.
- Such a step by Israel would be hugely provocative and generate enormous international backlash.
Behind the scenes: On Tuesday, Trump held a meeting with leaders and senior officials from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Egypt, Jordan, Turkey, Indonesia and Pakistan and asked them to support his plan for ending the war in Gaza.
- The Arab leaders presented Trump with several conditions for supporting his plan, including a commitment that Israel won't annex parts of the West Bank or Gaza.
- Trump made it clear to the leaders that he'd block such a step.
State of play: Trump said he'd had good phone calls with Netanyahu and with Arab leaders on Thursday about Gaza, and he claimed a deal could be reached soon.
- The White House has been urging Netanyahu to accept Trump's plan to end the war.
- Netanyahu and his confidant Ron Dermer met Thursday in New York with White House envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner to discuss the plan.
- The White House's message to Netanyahu is that continuing the war would isolate Israel even further, while ending it would have the opposite effect, a source familiar with the issue said.
What's next: On Monday, Netanyahu will meet Trump at the White House to discuss the plan and the way forward in Gaza.
