"Vance spoke after U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned that moves toward annexing the territory that Palestinians seek for part of an independent state could endanger Trump's plan to end the Gaza war, which has yielded a shaky ceasefire so far."
"The West Bank is not going to be annexed by Israel. The policy of President Trump is that the West Bank will not be annexed. This will always be our policy," Vance said during a trip to Israel to help shore up the Gaza truce."
"Repeated bouts of gunfire and explosions have shaken the deal and the two sides have traded blame for violations of its first phase, which has seen the return of Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, a handover of bodies of some deceased hostages, and a partial pullout of Israeli troops."
U.S. policy affirms the West Bank will not be annexed by Israel, reflecting President Trump's stated position. Israeli lawmakers advanced an annexation bill, but the government delayed a vote to protect a multi-stage Gaza plan. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned that annexation moves could jeopardize Trump's plan and threaten the fragile Gaza ceasefire. Senior U.S. officials visited Israel to bolster the brittle truce. The ceasefire produced hostage-for-prisoner exchanges, returns of some bodies, and a partial Israeli troop pullback, but repeated gunfire and explosions have undermined the agreement and prompted mutual accusations of violations.
Read at Irish Independent
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