❓WHAT HAPPENED: Vice President J.D. Vance criticized Israel’s preliminary Knesset (Israeli legislature) vote to extend Israeli law to the West Bank, branding it insulting to the U.S. and “very stupid.”
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: J.D. Vance, Israel’s government, and the Trump administration.
📍WHEN & WHERE: Thursday at Ben Gurion Airport following a two-day visit to Israel.
💬KEY QUOTE: “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.” – J.D. Vance
🎯IMPACT: The Trump administration reaffirmed its stance against annexation, emphasizing efforts to maintain peace in the region.
Vice President J.D. Vance warned Israel’s government against annexing the West Bank, criticizing a preliminary Knesset (Israeli legislature) vote on the matter during his two-day visit to the country. Speaking at Ben Gurion Airport on Thursday, Vance said he was told the vote was a “political stunt” and “purely symbolic,” but stressed that it was still “a very stupid political stunt, and I personally take some insult to it.”
“The West Bank is not going to be annexed by Israel,” Vance emphasized. “The policy of the Trump administration is that the West Bank will not be annexed by Israel. That will continue to be our policy, and if people want to take symbolic votes they can do that, but we certainly weren’t happy about it.”
The Knesset had given preliminary approval to a bill on Wednesday that would extend Israeli law to the occupied West Bank, a move widely regarded as de facto annexation. This vote came shortly after President Donald J. Trump brokered a deal aimed at ending Israel’s two-year military offensive in Gaza.
Regarding the ceasefire in Gaza, Vance noted that both sides were adhering to it, with only minor exceptions. He remarked, “So far, the ceasefire is actually holding, the peace is actually holding and now we’re trying to figure out how to make it stick over the long term.”
Vance also highlighted the role of the new International Security Force in disarming Hamas and the ongoing coordination between the United States, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Qatar, and other partners. “Our message is do whatever you can do to work with us to make this peace stick,” he said.
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