Amid rising calls in Israel for the annexation of Palestinian territories, US President Donald Trump has privately told Muslim leaders that he will not allow Israel to annex West Bank, according to a report.
US President Donald Trump has privately told Muslim leaders that he will not allow Israel to annex West Bank, according to Politico.
At a time when extremist allies of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have ramped up calls to annex the Gaza Strip and West Bank, the two parts of the envisioned Palestinian state, Trump on Tuesday held a summit with Muslim leaders from western and southern Asia.
Trump was firm that he will not allow Israel to annex West Bank and made a promise to Muslim leaders, two sources told the outlet.
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The meeting included leaders from Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates.
However, the report did not say anything about Trump making a similar promise about Gaza. Previously, Trump has said the United States will take over Gaza, expel all Palestinians living there, and convert the Palestinian enclave into a resort town.
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In the same meeting, Trump presented a 21-point proposal to end the war in Gaza and establish a post-war administration in Gaza.
“We presented what we call the Trump 21-point-plan for peace in the Mideast in Gaza. I think it addresses Israeli concerns and as well, the concerns of all the neighbors in the in the region,” said Steve Witkoff, the US Special Envoy for Middle East, without saying about the fate of West Bank.
Israel doubles down amid mounting global outrage
Even as the global outrage against the war in Gaza and the rising death toll and worsening humanitarian situation is rising by the day, Netanyahu and his extremist allies have doubled down instead for toning down their bombardment or rhetoric.
After the United Kingdon, France, Canada, and Australia recognised the Palestinian state, Netanyahu said that he would continue to expand Jewish settlements in West Bank. Referring to West Bank by biblical names, he said he has “doubled Jewish settlement in Judea and Samaria and we will continue on this course”.
After the recognition, far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir announced that he will propose West Bank’s annexation.
“The recognition by the UK, Canada, and Australia of a ‘Palestinian’ state as a prize for the murderous [Hamas] terrorists, requires immediate countermeasures,” said Ben-Gvir, acc