Trump Opposes Israel’s West Bank Annexation Amid Middle East Tensions

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President Donald Trump publicly declared on Thursday that he would not allow Israel to annex the West Bank, which includes Judea and Samaria

"I will, I will not allow Israel to annex the West Bank. Nope, I will not allow it. It's not going to happen," the president told reporters in the Oval Office, Associated Press reports.

Trump, who spoke at the U.N. General Assembly in New York earlier this week, also shared that he spoke with top Middle East leaders, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, about the ongoing war in Gaza, according to CBN News. 

"And we're trying to get to the end of the Gaza situation. It's really bad, very bad. And we think it could happen. Maybe it could happen pretty soon,” he said. “We want the hostages back. We want their bodies back. And we want to have peace in that region."

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had considered annexing Judea and Samaria after multiple world leaders expressed a desire to recognize a Palestinian state. The West Bank has a population of more than 700,000 Israelis as well as 3.3 million Palestinians.

Prior to Trump’s remarks, Netanyahu said he would explain Israel’s position after meeting with the president at the White House on Monday. Additionally, Netanyahu’s office launched a campaign called "Remember October 7" in New York on dozens of huge billboards and trucks around the United Nations and Times Square prior to the Prime Minister’s U.N. address on Friday. 

During his speech, Netanyahu criticized nations that called for a Palestinian state, Reuters reported.

"This week, the leaders of France, Britain, Australia, Canada, and other countries unconditionally recognized a Palestinian state. They did so after the horrors committed by Hamas on October 7 – horrors praised on that day by nearly 90% of the Palestinian population."

"You know what message the leaders who recognize the Palestinian state this week sent to the Palestinians?" Netanyahu said. "It's a very clear message: murdering Jews pays off."

On Thursday, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas delivered a video address to the U.N. General Assembly following Trump's visa denial. He shared that he is ready to work with Trump, Saudi Arabia, France, and the U.N. to implement the peace plans that were approved earlier this week.

“Today we say clearly: peace cannot be achieved if justice is not achieved, and there can be no justice if Palestine is not freed," Abbas declared.

Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/Ian Maule/Stringer 

Milton Quintanilla is a freelance writer and content creator. He is a contributing writer for CrosswalkHeadlines and the host of the For Your Soul Podcast, a podcast devoted to sound doctrine and biblical truth. He holds a Masters of Divinity from Alliance Theological Seminary.