A White House official reaffirmed on Monday that President Donald Trump has rejected any Israeli move to annex the West Bank, according to Al Arabiya.
“A stable West Bank keeps Israel secure and is in line with this administration’s goal to achieve peace in the region,” the official said.
These remarks followed Israel’s security cabinet approval of measures aimed at strengthening control over the occupied territory, paving the way for further settlement expansion.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Defense Minister Israel Katz announced new measures, lifting decades-old restrictions preventing Jewish citizens from purchasing land in the West Bank.
The measures also feature the transfer of authority over settlement building permits in parts of Palestinian cities—including Hebron—from Palestinian Authority municipal bodies to Israeli control.
Several countries around the world have opposed and condemned the move.
On Monday, the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Indonesia, Pakistan, Egypt, and Turkey issued a joint statement condemning “in the strongest terms” Israel’s recent measures in the occupied West Bank.
They also labeled these moves as illegal attempts to impose sovereignty, entrench settlement activity, and enforce a new legal and administrative reality.
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