Trump says he will not allow Israel to annex the West Bank
[September 26, 2025]
By WILL WEISSERT
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump vowed Thursday not to allow
Israel to annex the occupied West Bank, offering strong assurances that
he'd block a move that Arab leaders in the region have staunchly
opposed.
Asked about Israel officials suggesting in recent weeks that their
government could move to seize control of at least some parts of the
West Bank, Trump was blunt.
“I will not allow Israel to annex the West Bank,” he told reporters in
the Oval Office while signing executive orders unrelated to foreign
policy. “I will not allow it. It’s not going to happen.”
Possible annexation has been floated in Israel in response to a string
of countries — including key U.S. allies like the United Kingdom and
Canada — moving to recognize a Palestinian state. Trump said he'd spoken
to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, but that he'd be firm in
not allowing annexation, adding, “It's been enough. It's time to stop
now.”
Trump prides himself on his full-throated support for Israel, but has
also sought to broker an end to the fighting in Israel's ongoing war
with Hamas in the Gaza Strip. His comments constituted a rare instance
of potential pushback against top Israeli officials — even as Trump has
continued to demand the release of hostages seized by Hamas.
The timing is also fraught, given that Israel is waging a major
offensive in famine-stricken Gaza City, while expanding settlements in
the West Bank, and Netanyahu is scheduled to visit the White House on
Monday — his fourth trip to Washington since Trump's second term began
in January.
Unlike Gaza, the West Bank is administered by the Palestinian Authority.
Trump has long bragged about his close relationship with Netanyahu. But
the president has faced pressure from Arab leaders, who have publicly
expressed concerns about Israeli annexation. The United Arab Emirates
has warned that any Israeli move to annex would be a “red line.”
Israel captured the West Bank, east Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip in the
1967 Mideast war. The Palestinians want all three territories to form
their future state. They, and much of the international community, say
annexation would all but end any remaining possibility of a two-state
solution, which is widely seen internationally as the only way to
resolve decades of Arab-Israeli conflict.
Israel’s current government strongly opposes Palestinian statehood and
supports the eventual annexation of much of the West Bank.
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. Secretary of
State Marco Rubio (not shown) hold a joint press conference at the
Prime Minister's Office, during Rubio's visit, in Jerusalem, Monday,
Sept. 15, 2025. (Nathan Howard/Pool Photo via AP, File)
There is some skepticism about Trump’s ability to compel Netanyahu
one way or the other since the president criticized Israel’s recent
attack on Hamas officials in Qatar, but hasn’t offered any major
consequences as a result.
Netanyahu leads Israel’s most nationalist government in history, and
has been under pressure from key coalition allies to deepen Israel’s
control over the occupied territory. They were hoping that Trump’s
history of broad support for Israel’s policies could pave the way
for an expansion of Israeli control over the occupied territory.
Not acting toward annexation might ultimately threaten Netanyahu's
governing coalition at home, though expressing willingness not to
move forward also could win concessions from the Trump
administration.
More than half a million Jewish settlers now live in the West Bank
in some 130 settlements. The international community largely views
the settlements as illegal and an obstacle to peace.
Western countries are outraged by Israel’s intensifying offensive in
Gaza, and several have recognized Palestinian statehood, which is
opposed by Trump and the U.S. but has been a major issue at the
United Nations General Assembly this week.
Recognizing statehood is meant to galvanize support for a two-state
solution. Some 10 countries, including Britain, France and
Australia, have done so this week — hoping to revive the
long-moribund peace process, a move that the U.S. and Israel have
vehemently rejected.
Germany, one of Israel’s closest allies, has not joined the calls
for a ceasefire or the push for Palestinian statehood, but has
halted some military exports.
Those actions have been welcomed by Palestinians across Gaza and the
West Bank, but many on the ground continue to express doubt that it
can improve their dire circumstances as Israel's offensive
continues.
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