By Aldgra Fredly
Contributing Writer
President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he would not allow Israel to annex the West Bank.
“I will not allow Israel to annex the West Bank. No, I will not allow it. It’s not going to happen,“ the president told reporters at the Oval Office.
Trump made the remarks as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived in New York City to deliver an address at the United Nations General Assembly.
When asked if he had spoken to Netanyahu about it, Trump replied, “Whether I spoke to him or not, I did, but I’m not allowing Israel to annex the West Bank.”
Trump said that he had also spoken with Middle East leaders about a potential cease-fire in Gaza, where Israeli forces mounted an offensive following Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack.
“We’re getting pretty close to having a deal on Gaza and maybe even peace,” the president told reporters.
The meeting involved leaders of Qatar, Jordan, Turkey, Indonesia, Pakistan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, which took place on the sidelines of the 80th UN General Assembly on Wednesday, according to the UAE’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The UAE government said the leaders discussed efforts to secure “a sustainable and lasting cease-fire” in the Israel-Hamas war, as well as the release of “all hostages and detainees.”
The meeting also addressed possible “decisive steps” their countries could take to alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, according to the statement.
Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, who attended the meeting, said he believes the U.S. government understands “very well the risks and dangers of annexation in the West Bank.”
“What I can say about the meeting with President Trump, which I think was a very important meeting, is that the Arab and Muslim countries made very clear to the president the danger of annexation of any type in the West Bank and the risks that it poses not just to the potential of peace in Gaza, but also to any sustainable peace at all,” he said.
The Israeli government had not issued a response to Trump’s remarks as of publication time.
The West Bank has been under Israeli military control since 1967, when Israel captured the territory from Jordan during the Six-Day War. Israel maintains that it has the right to settle its citizens there. The Palestinian Authority regards the West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem as part of its future state.
UAE diplomat Anwar Gargash said on Sept. 3 that annexation of the West Bank would be “a red line” for his nation, adding that a two-state solution is the only path to peace.
Evgenia Filimianova contributed to this report.
