Trump: Will Not Allow Israel to Annex the West Bank

U.S. Middle East envoy Witkoff speaks to members of the news media at the White House 

[People News]President Donald Trump said he will not allow Israel to annex the West Bank and noted that he has spoken with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the issue.

“I will not allow Israel to annex the West Bank,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office at the White House on Thursday (Sept. 25). “I will not allow it. It’s not going to happen.”

According to Voice of America, when asked whether he had spoken with Netanyahu about the matter, Trump said: “Whether I spoke to him or not, I did. But I will not allow Israel to annex the West Bank.”

In recent weeks, some Israeli right-wing officials have suggested their government annex territories administered by the Palestinian Authority. As these calls surfaced, a number of Western countries—including France, Canada, and the United Kingdom—took steps to formally recognize the State of Palestine.

Both Israel and the U.S. said such recognition is seen as a reward for Hamas, the Gaza-based terrorist organization.

Regarding the ongoing Gaza war triggered by Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, Trump told reporters Thursday: “We are close to reaching an agreement on Gaza, and perhaps even peace.”

Trump has consistently called for the release of hostages still held by Hamas.

On Tuesday, during the U.N. General Assembly in New York, the president hosted a meeting on the Gaza conflict attended by leaders of Arab and Muslim nations.

U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff said Trump presented these leaders with a 21-point peace plan and expressed confidence that “some kind of breakthrough” would be achieved in the coming days. △