Trump: We won’t allow Israel to annex the West Bank
US President Donald Trump said on Sunday that there is a “great opportunity for peace” in the Middle East.
He added in statements to the NBC network that everyone seems ready for this peace, without revealing any details about the matter.
He also reiterated that he would not allow Israel to annex the West Bank.
Last July, the Israeli Knesset overwhelmingly approved a declaration supporting the annexation of the West Bank, amid calls from Likud ministers and Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana for the annexation to be implemented immediately.
Earlier on Sunday, Trump also claimed that ongoing talks on his plan to stop the war in the Gaza Strip were “progressing very well,” ahead of his upcoming meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House.
This comes as the Israeli army continues its war in the Gaza Strip, deploying ground forces along several key fronts in Gaza City, and continuing its shelling and bombing of buildings and residential facilities in these areas, as part of its efforts to occupy the city and displace Palestinians from it.
Meanwhile, Hamas says it hasn’t received any new proposals and asserts that negotiations “haven’t resumed since the last Doha round”.
Trump told the Israeli Channel 13 that there had been very good and noticeable progress on the issues at hand, referring to the 21-point plan he proposed to end the two-year-long war on the Gaza Strip and release Israeli prisoners.
Contrary to what was reported about Trump, the official Israeli Broadcasting Authority reported that sources close to Netanyahu said that there are still gaps between Trump and the Israeli Prime Minister regarding the terms of the potential deal.
On Tuesday, Trump presented a 21-point plan to end the war on Gaza during a meeting with Arab and Islamic leaders at the UN General Assembly in New York.
According to the Washington Post, the plan includes an immediate cessation of military operations, a freeze on battle lines, and the release of all Israeli prisoners within 48 hours.
It also stipulates the formation of two bodies, one international and one Palestinian, to gradually assume administration of the Gaza Strip, without involving Hamas in any political or security role.
