UNITED NATIONS: US President Donald Trump has pledged to prevent Israel from annexing the West Bank while intensifying efforts to conclude the Gaza war.
Trump made his declaration ahead of a significant visit by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who will speak at the United Nations and meet the US president in Washington.
Israeli ministers have recently discussed annexation in reaction to France, Britain, and other Western nations recognising Palestinian statehood.
The US president, a crucial ally for Netanyahu amid growing international pressure, firmly rejected the idea favoured by far-right Israelis to extinguish Palestinian state prospects.
“I will not allow Israel to annex the West Bank,“ Trump told reporters at the White House.
Trump expressed confidence about ending the devastating nearly two-year conflict, mirroring the optimism of his envoy Steve Witkoff a day earlier at the United Nations.
“We’re getting pretty close to having a deal on Gaza and maybe even peace,“ said Trump, who also held a phone conversation with Netanyahu on Thursday.
Trump previously met leaders from key Arab and Muslim countries at the United Nations, who cautioned him about the repercussions of Israeli annexation.
Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan stated that the US president fully comprehends the dangers associated with West Bank annexation.
Saudi Arabia has considered recognising Israel, a major symbolic move given its custody of Islam’s two holiest sites.
The United Arab Emirates, whose 2020 normalisation with Israel is a key achievement for both Netanyahu and Trump, has also publicly cautioned against annexation.
Netanyahu has recently challenged Trump by authorising attacks in Iran, Qatar, and Syria during US diplomatic initiatives.
Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas used his United Nations address to reassure concerns while urging universal recognition of Palestinian statehood.
The 89-year-old Palestinian Authority president addressed the General Assembly by video after the US denied him a visa for New York.
Abbas clearly distinguished his authority from Hamas, which seized control of Gaza in 2007.
“Hamas will not have a role to play in governance,“ Abbas said in a speech that garnered loud applause from delegates.
He explicitly condemned the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, which resulted in 1,219 Israeli deaths, primarily civilians.
“Despite all that our people have suffered, we reject what Hamas carried out on October 7,“ Abbas stated.
Abbas also rejected the conflation of solidarity with Palestinians and antisemitism, which he said contradicts Palestinian values.
He described the nearly two-year Israeli assault on Gaza as one of the most horrific humanitarian tragedies of the modern era.
Israel’s offensive has killed more than 65,500 Palestinians according to health ministry figures from the Hamas-run territory deemed reliable by the United Nations. – AFP