Trump opposes Israeli annexation of West Bank, White House official says

A White House official on Monday reiterated US President Donald Trump’s opposition toward Israel annexing the West Bank.

“A stable West Bank keeps Israel secure and is in line with this administration’s goal to achieve peace in the region,” the official said.

This comes after Israel’s security cabinet on Sunday approved a series of measures set to deepen Israeli control over the occupied West Bank, paving the way for further settlement expansion in the Palestinian territory.

The measures, announced by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Defense Minister Israel Katz, include the removal of decades-old regulations barring Jewish citizens from purchasing land in the West Bank, according to a joint statement by the two ministers at the time.

The reforms also envisage transferring authority over building permits for settlements in parts of Palestinian cities, including Hebron, from the Palestinian Authority’s municipal bodies to Israel.

The Israeli decision was rejected by several countries.

On Monday, the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Indonesia, Pakistan, Egypt and Turkey said they condemned “in the strongest terms the illegal Israeli decisions and measures aimed at imposing unlawful Israeli sovereignty, entrenching settlement activity, and enforcing a new legal and administrative reality in the occupied West Bank.”