US V-P Vance says Israeli vote on West Bank annexation was an ‘insult’, opposed by Trump
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A Bill applying Israeli law to the occupied West Bank won preliminary approval from Israel's Parliament on Oct 22.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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WASHINGTON/TEL AVIV – US Vice-President J.D. Vance said on Oct 23 that President Donald Trump would oppose Israel’s annexation of the occupied West Bank, and it would not happen, suggesting a move by Israeli lawmakers towards that end looked like a stupid “political stunt”.
A Bill applying Israeli law to the occupied West Bank, a move tantamount to annexation of a territory that Palestinians seek as part of a future independent state, won preliminary approval from Israeli lawmakers
Asked by reporters about the vote, Mr Vance said: “If it was a political stunt, it is a very stupid one, and I personally take some insult to it.”
Mr Vance spoke after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned that steps towards annexing the territory, which Israel captured in the 1967 Middle East war, could endanger Mr Trump’s plan to end the Gaza war, which has yielded a shaky ceasefire so far.
“The West Bank is not going to be annexed by Israel. The policy of President Trump is that the West Bank will not be annexed. This will always be our policy,” Mr Vance said at the end of a two-day visit to Israel.
The vote was sponsored by a far-right opposition lawmaker who until recently was in the ruling right-wing coalition, and backed by ultranationalists National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.
The reading passed by a vote of 25-24 out of 120 lawmakers.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office later said that the vote was a “deliberate political provocation” that aimed to sow division during Mr Vance’s visit.
Mr Netanyahu’s Likud party did not vote for the Bill, it said, adding that without its support, attempts to legislate the annexation of the West Bank were “unlikely to go anywhere”.
The US has long been Israel’s most powerful and staunch major power ally and the Trump administration is particularly close to Israel, with considerable sway over its leadership.
Mr Netanyahu has repeatedly ruled out Palestinian statehood.
His Cabinet has considered the idea of annexation as a response to major Western allies recently recognising a Palestinian state to put pressure on Israel to stop its devastating war in Gaza, but appeared to shelve it after Mr Trump objected in September.
Senior White House officials and Mr Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner have been visiting Israel seeking to keep alive the 13-day-old truce between Israel and Palestinian Hamas militants after two years of war that has upended the Middle East.
Mr Rubio is due to arrive in Israel on Oct 23.
The US State Department said Mr Rubio was visiting Israel to support the implementation of Mr Trump’s 20-point Gaza plan
Mr Vance told reporters in Tel Aviv that he “feels pretty good” about the Gaza ceasefire after having talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Israel and Hamas have reiterated their commitment to the US-mediated ceasefire while trading accusations of repeated violations since it took effect on October 10.
The deal has so far seen the release of hostages held in Gaza in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, a handover of bodies of some deceased hostages, and a partial pullout of Israeli troops.
West Bank settlements
There are hundreds of thousands of people living in Jewish settlements across the West Bank.
The United Nations and much of the international community consider the settlements illegal under international law.
Israel’s government, however, cites biblical and historical connections to the West Bank, territory that it regards as disputed, and opposes any steps towards Palestinian statehood.
The settlements are a highly volatile issue that has for decades been seen as a major obstacle to Middle East peace, as they fragment territory Palestinians want for a viable state.
The Oct 22 vote was the first of four needed to pass the law and coincided with Mr Vance’s visit to Israel, a month after Mr Trump said that he would not allow Israel to annex the West Bank.
Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Turkey and 13 other Muslim-majority nations condemned the vote, as did the key multilateral organisations that represent Arab states and Muslim nations.
Mr Trump hopes his Gaza plan will deliver stability across the Middle East and widen normalisation deals known as the Abraham Accords between Israel and Arab states such as the United Arab Emirates to include regional power Saudi Arabia.
The kingdom has repeatedly said it would not strike a deal with Israel without the formation of a Palestinian state. REUTERS
