Firmly Bans Israel From Annexing The West Bank, President Trump: Will Not Happen

Indonesian President Prabowo while attending (Laily Rachev/Biro Pers Presidential Secretariat)

JAKARTA - United States President Donald Trump stressed on Thursday he would not allow Israel to annex the West Bank, rejecting calls from several right-wing politicians in Israel who want to expand sovereignty over the region and quell hopes for the Palestinian State.

"I will not allow Israel to annex the West Bank. No, I will not allow it. That will not happen," President Trump told reporters in the Oval Room.

"That's enough. Now is the time to stop," he said.

Previously, France, Britain, Canada, Australia, and Portugal were among the countries that have recognized the Palestinian state in recent days, the cave helped keep the two countries' possible solutions alive. Israel has denounced these measures.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has faced pressure from allies to annex the West Bank, sparking concern among Arab leaders, some of whom met on Tuesday with President Trump on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.

President Trump made the comments when PM Netanyahu arrived in New York to deliver a speech at the UN General Assembly on Friday.

PM Netanyahu's office said the prime minister would wait until he returned to Israel in response to President Trump's remarks.

Israel's settlements have grown and the numbers have grown since Israel seized the West Bank in the 1967 war.

The settlement stretches deep into the region with other road and infrastructure systems under Israeli control, which further slice the region.

The widely criticized Israeli settlement plan, known as the E1 project, which will divide the occupied West Bank into two and separate it from East Jerusalem, received final approval in August. The project will cross the Palestinian territory for a country.

The finance minister who is also a far-right Israeli politician Bezalel Smotrich said at the time the Palestinian state was "deleted from the negotiating table."

Arab and Muslim countries warned President Trump at a "Multilateral Meeting on the Middle East" on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly earlier this week about the serious consequences of West Bank annexation, a message "deeply understood" by the US President, according to Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud.

About 700,000 Israeli settlers live among 2.7 million Palestinians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, which Israel annexed in a move not recognized by much of the country.

Most international communities consider Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal under international law.

Israel denies this, citing historical and alkitabiah relations with the region, saying the settlement provides depth and strategic security.

President Trump, who remains Israel's closest ally on the world stage, said he had spoken with representatives from Middle Eastern countries and Netanyahu on Thursday and an agreement on Gaza could be reached soon.

"We want the hostages back, we want their bodies back, and we want peace in the region. So, we've had some very good talks," said President Trump.