Donald Trump has said he will not allow Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to annex the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
The US president told White House reporters ahead of Netanyahu's address to the UN General Assembly on Friday: I will not allow Israel to annex the West Bank... It's not going to happen.
Trump, who will meet Netanyahu on Monday, also said a ceasefire deal over the war in Gaza was pretty close.
Israel is facing increasing global pressure to end the conflict and occupation of the West Bank, as a wave of Western states formally recognise an independent Palestinian state. Far-right Israelis view annexation as a means of preventing a Palestinian state from being created.
Ultranationalists in Netanyahu's governing coalition have repeated calls for Israel to annex the West Bank - part of the Palestinian territories - outright.
The UK and Germany say they have warned Israel against annexation, while UN Secretary General António Guterres said such a move would be morally, legally and politically intolerable.
Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Thursday that he had spoken to Netanyahu as well as other Middle Eastern leaders.
We're getting pretty close to having a deal on Gaza, and maybe even peace, Trump said.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas told the UN General Assembly via video link the same day that he was ready to work with world leaders to implement a peace plan for Israel and the Palestinians, announced by France earlier in the week.
The US is currently opposed to recognizing Palestine, stating that such a move would reward Hamas. Abbas emphasized that Hamas will not have a role in governance and called for a Palestinian state to assume full responsibilities for the Gaza Strip following an Israeli withdrawal.
At the UN on Tuesday, Trump met leaders of key Arab and Muslim nations, who warned him of consequences if Israel moved ahead with annexation.
On Wednesday morning, Israel closed the only crossing between the Israeli-occupied West Bank and neighboring Jordan, preventing more than two million Palestinians from accessing the outside world. This closure came just days after two Israeli military personnel were killed near the crossing by a Jordanian gunman, who was shot dead on the scene.
In Gaza, Israeli military operations have resulted in a high number of casualties, predominantly among Palestinian civilians. Reports indicate that since the escalation of violence began, there have been over 65,000 deaths in Gaza, intensifying calls for the international community to intervene and demand an end to hostilities.
In addition to the recent recognition of a Palestinian state by several countries, the European Commission is considering trade restrictions and sanctions against extremist Israeli ministers, marking a potential shift in international policy toward the ongoing conflict.
The US president told White House reporters ahead of Netanyahu's address to the UN General Assembly on Friday: I will not allow Israel to annex the West Bank... It's not going to happen.
Trump, who will meet Netanyahu on Monday, also said a ceasefire deal over the war in Gaza was pretty close.
Israel is facing increasing global pressure to end the conflict and occupation of the West Bank, as a wave of Western states formally recognise an independent Palestinian state. Far-right Israelis view annexation as a means of preventing a Palestinian state from being created.
Ultranationalists in Netanyahu's governing coalition have repeated calls for Israel to annex the West Bank - part of the Palestinian territories - outright.
The UK and Germany say they have warned Israel against annexation, while UN Secretary General António Guterres said such a move would be morally, legally and politically intolerable.
Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Thursday that he had spoken to Netanyahu as well as other Middle Eastern leaders.
We're getting pretty close to having a deal on Gaza, and maybe even peace, Trump said.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas told the UN General Assembly via video link the same day that he was ready to work with world leaders to implement a peace plan for Israel and the Palestinians, announced by France earlier in the week.
The US is currently opposed to recognizing Palestine, stating that such a move would reward Hamas. Abbas emphasized that Hamas will not have a role in governance and called for a Palestinian state to assume full responsibilities for the Gaza Strip following an Israeli withdrawal.
At the UN on Tuesday, Trump met leaders of key Arab and Muslim nations, who warned him of consequences if Israel moved ahead with annexation.
On Wednesday morning, Israel closed the only crossing between the Israeli-occupied West Bank and neighboring Jordan, preventing more than two million Palestinians from accessing the outside world. This closure came just days after two Israeli military personnel were killed near the crossing by a Jordanian gunman, who was shot dead on the scene.
In Gaza, Israeli military operations have resulted in a high number of casualties, predominantly among Palestinian civilians. Reports indicate that since the escalation of violence began, there have been over 65,000 deaths in Gaza, intensifying calls for the international community to intervene and demand an end to hostilities.
In addition to the recent recognition of a Palestinian state by several countries, the European Commission is considering trade restrictions and sanctions against extremist Israeli ministers, marking a potential shift in international policy toward the ongoing conflict.
