Khaberni - Reuters quotes a White House official saying, "U.S. President Donald Trump has clearly stated that he does not support Israel annexing the West Bank."
The American official confirmed that the stability of the West Bank preserves Israel's security and aligns with the administration's goal of achieving peace in the region.
This position comes after decisions made by the Israeli Ministerial Committee on Political and Security Affairs (the Cabinet) concerning the occupied West Bank, which have sparked a wide wave of Palestinian criticism, described as the most dangerous since the occupation of the West Bank in 1967, amid warnings that they represent a fundamental shift in the legal and political realities, paving the way for a broad actual annexation, and undermining the remaining international legitimacy system and signed accords.
Hours before, the British government condemned the decision to expand Israeli control over the West Bank, urging it to reverse these decisions.
The British government stated, "Britain strongly condemns the decision to expand Israeli control over the West Bank, as it considers any unilateral attempt to change the geographic or demographic character of Palestine completely unacceptable, and in violation of international law."
Earlier on Monday, the European Union condemned the Israeli decisions aimed at asserting its sovereignty over the occupied West Bank, coinciding with the incursion of the Israeli far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich into the town of "Naalin," west of Ramallah in the middle of the West Bank.
Anwar Al-Anouni, the spokesperson for the European Union, told reporters that the Union condemns the recent decisions made by the Israeli Security Ministerial Council to expand the sphere of Israeli control over the West Bank.
The Union considered that these measures bolster Israeli control over the West Bank, paving the way for building more settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories, noting it as another step in the wrong direction.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced that the Ministerial Committee on Political and Security Affairs authorized what they described as dramatic decisions concerning the West Bank. These allow the sale of Palestinian properties to Israelis, demolition and confiscation in areas under the Palestinian Authority, and transfer of powers in Hebron, around the Tomb of the Patriarchs and Bethlehem to Israel.
Arab and Islamic Condemnations
Meanwhile, several Arab and Islamic countries in a joint statement condemned the Israeli decisions to assert its sovereignty over the occupied West Bank and create a new reality in the Palestinian territories, speeding up the attempts of illegal annexation and the displacement of the Palestinian people.
The statement, issued by the foreign ministers of eight Arab and Islamic countries — Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, the UAE, Indonesia, Pakistan, and Turkey — warned against the continuation of the Israeli government's illegal expansionist policies in the West Bank" and reiterated the position that Israel holds no sovereignty over the Palestinian occupied territories.
Ministers warn of the ongoing Israeli expansionist policies and illegal measures pursued in the occupied West Bank, which lead to the escalation of violence and conflict in the region.
The ministers expressed their absolute rejection of these illegal measures, which constitute a blatant violation of international law, undermine the two-state solution, and represent an assault on the inalienable right of the Palestinian people to establish an independent sovereign state based on the lines of June 4, 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
The statement by the eight countries affirmed that these illegal measures in the occupied West Bank are null and void, represent a clear violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions, especially Resolution 2334 which condemns all Israeli actions aimed at changing the demographic makeup and status of the Palestinian land occupied since 1967.
Ministers call upon the international community to uphold its legal and moral responsibilities and compel Israel to halt its dangerous escalation in the occupied West Bank, and provocative statements by its officials.
They stressed that fulfilling the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, including their right to self-determination and establishing their state based on the two-state solution and according to international legality and the Arab Peace Initiative, is the only way to achieve a just and comprehensive peace ensuring security and stability in the region.
