US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he will not let Israel annex the West Bank. This is a rather strong stance that shows a change in US policy toward the Middle East. This announcement goes directly against radical right-wing leaders in Israel who want to expand their control over the area. If they did, it would mean the end of all prospects for a Palestinian state.
President Trump made it clear to reporters in the Oval Office that he would not let Israel take over the West Bank. No, I won’t let it happen. He said, “It’s not going to happen,” and then he added, “There’s been enough.” Now is the moment to stop.
Netanyahu is under a lot of pressure because of problems with diplomacy.
The statements were made right before Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived in New York on Friday to speak to the United Nations. Netanyahu’s hardline backers have been putting a lot of pressure on him to go through with the annexation, which is important for keeping his ruling coalition together.
Arab Warnings: The U.S. decision was significantly influenced by warnings from Arab and Muslim countries. Their leaders met with Trump on Tuesday during the UN General Assembly. Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud, Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister, said that the U.S. President “understands very well” the “grave consequences” of any annexation.
Recognizing a Palestinian State: The movement for a two-state solution has received diplomatic support in recent weeks, with important U.S. allies like France, Britain, Canada, Australia, and Portugal publicly recognizing a Palestinian state. Israel has strongly criticized these actions.
Netanyahu’s Response: Netanyahu’s office said that Trump’s comment was noted, but the prime minister would not reply until he got back to Israel.
The E1 Settlement Project, which has caused a lot of debate
The problem of annexation is strongly related to the huge growth of Israeli settlements, which have increased a lot since Israel took over the West Bank in the 1967 conflict.
Settlement Status: There are about 700,000 Israeli settlers living in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, where there are 2.7 million Palestinians. Most of the world thinks these settlements are against international law, but Israel disagrees, saying they are founded on historical and security reasons.
E1 Project clearance: The E1 project, which would create colonies that would cleave the occupied West Bank in half and shut it off from East Jerusalem, got final clearance in August. This makes the chances of peace much less likely. Bezalel Smotrich, the Israeli finance minister at the time, who was quite nationalistic, openly said that a Palestinian state was “being erased from the table.”
New Peace Plan and Efforts to End the War in Gaza
At the same time as the annexation proclamation, President Trump is working hard on a new plan to end the nearly two-year war between Israel and Hamas.
21-Point Peace Plan: This week, the U.S. gave leaders from eight Arab and Muslim countries a detailed 21-point plan for peace in the Middle East. The goal of this proposal is to cease the fighting and help the people of Gaza who are in need.
Trump was hopeful about a possible breakthrough in Gaza, even though he had a solid grip on the West Bank. He said he had talked to Netanyahu and Middle Eastern leaders. “We want the bodies back, the hostages back, and peace in that area.” “We had some very good talks,” he remarked. Hamas still has 48 hostages, and about 20 of them are thought to be alive.
The war has caused a lot of damage and killed more than 65,000 Palestinians in Gaza. International efforts are still going on as a worldwide hunger monitor confirms that there is starvation in some sections of the region. Italy and Spain recently sent naval ships to help the Global Sumud Flotilla, a civilian relief operation with roughly 50 boats trying to break Israel’s naval blockade.