Is Trump Really Against Israel's Annexation of the Occupied West Bank?

JAKARTA - US President Donald Trump is rumored to oppose the annexation of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Axios correspondent Barak Ravid reported.

"A stable West Bank maintains Israel's security and is in line with this administration's goal of achieving peace in the region," Ravid said on the US social media, X, quoting a White House official as reported by ANTARA from Anadolu, Tuesday, February 10.

Previously, Trump said he would not allow Israel to annex the occupied West Bank.

On Sunday (8/1), the Israeli security cabinet ordered the repeal of a law that, among other things, prohibits the sale of Palestinian land to Jewish residents of the West Bank.

In addition, the law reopens land ownership records, and transfers the authority to issue building permits in a Hebron settlement block from the Palestinian municipal government to the Israeli civil administration.

The measures also extend Israeli surveillance and law enforcement to areas classified as Area A and Area B, citing alleged violations related to unauthorized construction, water issues, and damage to archaeological and environmental sites.

Over the past three years, the Israeli government has planned to build around 50,000 settlement units in the West Bank, in addition to confiscating 60,000 dunams (14,826 hectares) of land during the Gaza-related war period.

The International Court of Justice declared Israel's occupation of Palestinian territory illegal in a landmark ruling in July 2024 and called for the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.