White House Says President Trump Opposes Israeli Annexation of West Bank

White House. (Wikimedia Commons/Matt H. Wade)

JAKARTA - A White House official on Monday reiterated US President Donald Trump's opposition to Israel's annexation of the West Bank.

"A stable West Bank maintains Israel's security and is in line with this administration's goal of achieving peace in the region," the official said, citing Al Arabiya and Reuters (10/2).

This comes after Israel's Security Cabinet on Sunday approved a series of measures that would deepen Israel's control over the occupied West Bank, paving the way for further settlement expansion in Palestinian territory.

The measures, announced by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Israeli Defense Minister Katz, include the elimination of decades-old regulations that bar Jews from buying land in the West Bank, according to a joint statement by the two ministers at the time.

The reform also considers transferring the authority over settlement construction permits in several parts of the Palestinian city, including Hebron, from Palestinian Authority municipal bodies to Israel.

Israel's decision was strongly opposed by the Palestinians, countries in the world, to the European Union.

On Monday, the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Indonesia, Pakistan, Egypt and Turkey in a joint statement condemned "in the strongest terms Israel's illegal decisions and actions aimed at imposing Israeli sovereignty in violation of the law, strengthening settlement activities, and imposing new legal and administrative realities in the occupied West Bank."