US President Donald Trump has declared that he will not allow Israel to annex the occupied West Bank. Speaking ahead of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's address to the UN General Assembly, Trump said from the White House:
“I will not allow Israel to annex the West Bank… This will not happen.”
Trump, who will meet with Netanyahu on Monday, added that a deal on Gaza is "very close."
Diplomatic background
Israel faces growing international pressure to end the war in Gaza and the occupation of the West Bank, as a wave of Western states have officially recognized Palestine.
Right-wing extremists in Netanyahu's ruling coalition continue to call for the annexation of the West Bank.
The United Kingdom and Germany have warned Israel against the move, while UN Secretary-General António Guterres called it "morally, legally and politically intolerable."
The Palestinian position
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who spoke via video message to the UN after the US prevented him from traveling to New York, thanked the states that recognized Palestine this week - among them Canada, Australia, Britain, France and other European countries.
He stressed that Palestine is ready to take "full responsibility" for Gaza after an Israeli withdrawal and demanded its connection with the West Bank.
Situation on the ground
Israel closed the only crossing between the West Bank and Jordan after an attack that killed two Israeli soldiers and a Jordanian perpetrator.
In Gaza, more than 80 Palestinians – including women and children – were killed by Israeli attacks on Wednesday.
Since October 7, 2023, more than 65,000 Palestinians have been killed, including more than 18,000 children, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
International pressure on Israel
The UN commission of inquiry into crimes has concluded that Israel committed genocide in Gaza – an accusation that Tel Aviv has dismissed as “distorted and false”.
The European Commission has proposed trade restrictions and sanctions against extremist ministers in the Israeli government.
Microsoft cut off some services to an Israeli Defense Ministry unit after its technology was used for mass surveillance of the population in Gaza.
Meanwhile, Netanyahu has called on the country to embrace self-sufficiency in the face of global pressure.
