"The parade of senior US officials travelling to the Middle East in recent weeks is a clear warning from the White House to Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli political factions to not disrupt the recent Gaza ceasefire including by an annexation of the West Bank or face a serious rift in relations with the US. As the shaky ceasefire came into effect last week, Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner quickly rushed to the region for consultations."
"One of two bills recently passed by rightwing MPs, despite the objections of Netanyahu and most of his Likud party, would establish Israeli sovereignty over the occupied territories in the West Bank effectively ending the prospect of a two-state solution. They are unlikely to ever become law, especially given Trump's vocal opposition to an annexation of the West Bank. But the votes have unsettled US officials, who took the unusual step of publicly chastising Israeli lawmakers for supporting the inflammatory legislation."
"If it was a political stunt, it was a very stupid political stunt and I personally take some insult, JD Vance told reporters when asked about the vote. The West Bank is not going to be annexed by Israel. The policy of the Trump administration is that the West Bank will not be annexed by Israel. Marco Rubio said the vote could be counterproductive to the Gaza ceasefire."
Senior US officials traveled to the Middle East to warn Israeli leaders against annexing the West Bank or disrupting the Gaza ceasefire. Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner visited for consultations, followed by secretary of state Marco Rubio and vice-president JD Vance. Two rightwing bills passed in the Knesset would establish Israeli sovereignty over occupied West Bank territories, undermining a two-state solution, though they are unlikely to become law. The votes unsettled US officials, who publicly chastised Israeli lawmakers. Arab states condemned the bills, and US leaders warned annexation could threaten the ceasefire and bilateral relations.
Read at www.theguardian.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]