US President Donald Trump strongly objected to Israel's plan to annex the West Bank of the Jordan River. He announced this in an interview with "The Time" magazine, according to foreign publications.
According to the politician, he made promises to the leaders of Arab countries on this issue, and violating them could seriously damage the US position in the region.
"This will not happen, because I made a promise to the Arab countries. It's impossible to do this now. The Arab states provided us with great assistance. If Israel takes this step, all assistance provided by the United States may be suspended," said Donald Trump.
Although this interview was given on October 15, its publication in the journal coincided with the date when the West Bank bill was adopted in the first reading in the Israeli parliament - the Knesset.
The document, adopted on October 22, provides for the application of Israel's sovereignty over settlements on the West Bank, that is, the official annexation of the territory. For the project to enter into full force, it must go through three more voting processes.
This event caused heated debates in the international arena. US Vice President Jay Dee Vance, who recently visited Israel, also strongly criticized the bill.
"I was told that this was a symbolic political step. But I consider this a stupid political trick. Personally, I perceived this decision as an insult," Vens said in his speech on the eve of leaving Israel.
At the same time, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio also noted that this annexation movement could threaten the peace plan in the Gaza Strip developed by the Trump administration.
For information, the Israeli parliament also adopted a document in July of this year recognizing the West Bank of the Jordan River as "an integral part of the historical homeland of the Jewish people." This decision was strongly condemned by the international community.
Israel has been building illegal dwellings on the West Bank, which it occupied after the 1967 war, for several decades. To date, about 160 Jewish settlements have been built in this area, and more than 700 thousand Jewish residents have been settled there.
International organizations, including the UN, assess these constructions as aggression and a violation of international law. A resolution adopted by the UN Security Council on December 23, 2016, demanded that Israel immediately cease the construction of residential buildings on occupied Palestinian lands.
The human rights organization "Peace Now," condemning these actions of the Binyamin Netanyahu government, emphasized that Israel aimed to completely occupy the West Bank.
At the same time, a statement issued by about 460 world Jewish intellectuals - scholars, politicians, and cultural figures - also called on Israel to end the policy of apartheid and genocide in the occupied Palestinian territories.
Analysts believe that Trump's statement does not mean he has taken an anti-Israel stance. On the contrary, it has been supporting Tel Aviv as a strategic ally for several years.
Recall that during his first presidential term - in December 2017, Trump recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel as a whole. This decision was strongly condemned not only by the Palestinian administration but also by Washington's partners in the European Union.
Now the situation is escalating again: it is emphasized that Israel's new annexation actions could complicate the peace process in the region and further escalate conflicts on the West Bank.
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