U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday dismissed a push by some Israeli lawmakers to advance annexation of the occupied West Bank, saying Israel was “not going to do anything with the West Bank.”
The remarks came after Israeli lawmakers gave preliminary approval to a bill extending Israeli law to the West Bank, a move widely seen as tantamount to annexation of territory Palestinians hope to include in a future independent state.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance, speaking earlier during a visit to Israel, reaffirmed that Trump opposed any annexation plans and insisted such a move “will not happen.”
Asked about the parliamentary vote, Vance told reporters, “If it was a political stunt, it is a very stupid one, and I personally take some insult to it.”
Later that day, Trump reiterated his position during an unrelated White House event, telling reporters: “Don’t worry about the West Bank. Israel’s not going to do anything with the West Bank.”
Vance’s comments followed warnings from U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who said that moves toward annexation of territory captured by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war could jeopardise Trump’s efforts to secure peace in Gaza, where a fragile ceasefire remains in place.
The pair were among several senior U.S. officials to travel to Israel this week.
“The policy of President Trump is that the West Bank will not be annexed. This will always be our policy,” Vance said at the end of his two-day visit.
Far-right push behind the vote
The bill was introduced by a far-right opposition member, formerly part of the governing coalition, and backed by ultranationalist ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich.
It passed its first reading by a narrow margin, 25 votes to 24 out of 120 but still requires three more readings before becoming law.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office later described the move as a “deliberate political provocation” designed to create division during Vance’s visit. His Likud party did not support the bill, noting that without its backing, attempts to legislate annexation were “unlikely to go anywhere.”
U.S. influence and Gaza diplomacy
The United States remains Israel’s most powerful ally, and Trump’s administration has enjoyed particularly close ties with Netanyahu’s government.
Netanyahu, who has long rejected Palestinian statehood, reportedly considered annexation as a potential response to recent Western recognitions of a Palestinian state, a move intended to pressure Israel over its ongoing campaign in Gaza but abandoned the idea after Trump objected last month.
Senior White House officials, including Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, have been visiting Israel in an effort to sustain a 13-day-old U.S.-brokered truce between Israel and Hamas, following two years of devastating conflict that has reshaped the Middle East.
“No one’s under any illusions,” Rubio told reporters after meeting Netanyahu. “We feel confident and positive about the progress that’s being made. We’re clear-eyed about the challenges too, but the president has made this a top priority.”
The State Department said Rubio’s visit was intended to support implementation of Trump’s 20-point Gaza peace plan, which envisions reconstruction, stable governance, and potential steps towards eventual Palestinian statehood.
Vance said before leaving Tel Aviv that he “feels pretty good” about the ceasefire after meeting Israeli officials and military leaders.
The truce, in place since 10 October, has so far resulted in hostage exchanges, the return of bodies, and a limited Israeli troop withdrawal, though both sides have accused the other of violations.
West Bank settlements and international reaction
Hundreds of thousands of Israelis live in settlements across the West Bank, which the United Nations and most of the international community regard as illegal under international law.
Israel disputes this, citing historical and biblical ties to the land and defining it as “disputed territory.” It also opposes moves towards Palestinian statehood.
Settlements remain one of the most contentious issues in Middle East diplomacy, fragmenting the territory Palestinians hope will form their future state.
Saudi Arabia, Türkiye, Indonesia, and 13 other Muslim-majority nations condemned the preliminary approval of the annexation bill, as did key Arab and Islamic organisations.
Trump hopes his Gaza peace plan will foster regional stability and expand the Abraham Accords, normalisation deals between Israel and Arab states such as the United Arab Emirates to include Saudi Arabia.
Riyadh, however, has repeatedly maintained that it will not normalise relations with Israel unless a Palestinian state is established.
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