US President Donald Trump has said he will not allow the Israeli prime minister to implement his plans to annex the Israeli-occupied West Bank, the BBC reports.
Ahead of Netanyahu’s address to the UN General Assembly on the 26th of September, Trump told reporters that annexation of the West Bank would not happen. He met with the Israeli leader on the 22nd of September and said a ceasefire in Gaza was “close.”
Israel is facing growing international pressure to end the conflict in the occupied Palestinian territories, and a number of Western countries, including Britain and France, have recognized Palestinian statehood. The far-right Israeli government sees annexation of the West Bank as a way to prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state.
British and German officials have said Israel has been warned not to annex the West Bank, and UN Secretary-General António Guterres has said such action would be morally, legally and politically unacceptable.
Trump revealed to reporters in the Oval Office on the 25th of September that
he had spoken with Netanyahu and other Middle Eastern leaders and said they were “quite close” to a deal on Gaza
and perhaps even peace.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, 89, told the UN General Assembly in a video address that he was ready to work with world leaders to implement the peace plan presented by France on the 22nd of September. Abbas is not attending the General Assembly in New York in person because the United States refused to grant him a visa. Abbas thanked countries that have already recognized Palestinian statehood. The United States is currently opposed to recognizing a Palestinian state, as is Israel, arguing that such a move would reward the terrorist group Hamas. Abbas, however, stressed in his speech that the group would have no say in governing the state.
On the 23rd of September, Trump met with top Arab and Islamic officials at the UN headquarters, who warned him of the consequences of annexing the West Bank.
Israel closed the only border crossing from the occupied West Bank to Jordan on the morning of the 24th of September, cutting off more than two million Palestinians from the outside world. This action followed the killing of two Israeli soldiers by a Jordanian near the border crossing.
Netanyahu has consistently denied that there is a famine in Gaza,
and has said that even if there is, international aid agencies are to blame. A UN investigation commission released a report in September saying that genocide was being committed against the Palestinians, but Israel said the reports were distorted and false.
In addition to the recognition of Palestine by many countries, the European Commission announced plans to restrict trade with Israel and impose sanctions on far-right government ministers. Technology giant Microsoft has blocked the Israeli Defense Ministry from accessing several of its services after it was revealed that they were being used to spy on civilians in Gaza. Meanwhile, Netanyahu has called on Israel to become self-sufficient.
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