US Vice President: Trump Opposites Israel's Annexation Of The West Bank

US Vice President JD Vance/PHOTO via Instagram @vp

JAKARTA - US Vice President JD Vance stressed President Donald Trump would oppose Israel's annexation of the occupied West Bank.

Vance's remarks came a day after Israeli lawmakers launched legislation for the purpose of annexing the West Bank.

Vance spoke after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned that steps towards annexation of the territories championed by Palestine as part of an independent country could jeopardize Trump's plans to end the Gaza war.

"West Japan will not be annexed by Israel. President Trump's policy is that the West Bank will not be annexed. This will always be our policy," Vance said during his visit to Israel to help strengthen the Gaza ceasefire.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said after Vance's statement the government had not yet decided to speed up the annexation vote at this stage to ensure the success of Trump's multi-stage plans on Gaza.

The US has long been Israel's most powerful and loyal ally, and the Trump administration is very close to Israel with considerable influence over its leadership.

Senior US officials, including Rubio, have visited Israel to maintain a fragile ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas, after two years of the devastating war that rocked the Middle East.

Vance told reporters in Tel Aviv he was "satisfied enough" with the Gaza ceasefire after speaking with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

A series of shots and explosions have rocked the deal, and both sides blame each other for the first phase of the violation, involving the return of Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, the surrender of the bodies of several dead hostages, and the withdrawal of part of Israeli troops.

The two sides have reaffirmed their commitment to a US-mediated ceasefire after two years of war sparked by a cross-border Hamas attack on October 7, 2023 against Israel that killed 1,200 people, according to Israeli tallies.