Trump opposes Israel’s West Bank annexation plan

US President Donald Trump has taken a direct stance against Israeli plans to annex the occupied West Bank.

A White House official said on Monday (January 9) that President Trump sees maintaining stability in the Palestinian territories as consistent with his goal of establishing peace in the region.

The official, quoted by Reuters, made it clear that a stable West Bank keeps Israel safe and that the current US administration is committed to this policy.

The White House's response came after Israel's hard-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Defense Minister Israel Katz announced new measures to expand the occupation of the occupied West Bank.

The new rules, approved by the Israeli Security Cabinet, will make it easier to seize land for illegal settlements. The decision to take away the power to issue building permits, especially in large cities like Hebron, from the Palestinian Authority and place them under direct Israeli control, has already sparked a storm of protest around the world. Eight major Muslim countries, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey, Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates, have called it “illegal and an attempt to displace the Palestinians” in a joint statement. They believe that this move is an attempt to impose illegal sovereignty over the West Bank in violation of international law.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres described the move as “destabilizing” and a major obstacle to a two-state solution. His spokesman Stephane Dujarric told a press conference that such a decision undermines the right of the Palestinian people to control their own destiny.

On the other hand, the British government and Spain also strongly condemned the incident and called on Israel to immediately withdraw the decision. The British government statement said that any unilateral attempt to change the geographical or demographic structure of the West Bank is completely unacceptable.

It is worth noting that Israeli Minister Smotrich has publicly claimed that the main goal of this change is to bury the idea of ​​​​forming a Palestinian state forever. However, the Spanish Foreign Ministry has warned that Israel's expansionist policy and occupation could further inflame the ongoing violence in Gaza and hinder peace efforts.

Source: Al Jazeera.