Washington, USA – US Vice President J.D. Vance described the preliminary vote held, by the Israeli Knesset
on annexing the occupied West Bank as a “stupid decision
Stressing—before leaving Israel—that President Donald Trump’s policy remains clear:
he rejects any Israeli move to annex the West Bank.
Vance said in statements reported by American media that he felt “insulted” by the Knesset vote that took place.
He added that he was told that the vote was “just a political stunt,” adding:
“If that’s the case, it’s a very stupid political maneuver.”
In a related context, US President Donald Trump confirmed in an interview
with Time magazine that the annexation of the West Bank “will not happen.”
Explaining that he gave a clear commitment to the Arab countries not to allow this step,
Stressing that Israel would lose US support if it proceeded with annexation.
The preliminary vote in the Knesset coincided with Vance’s visit to Israel.
What Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party considered “an opposition maneuver aimed at harming Israel’s relations with Washington.”
In contrast, far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich escalated his rhetoric, saying, “Sovereignty is the real test point.”
Adding that if Saudi Arabia made normalization with Israel conditional on the establishment of
a Palestinian state, then it should, as he put it, “continue riding camels in the Saudi desert.”
This statement resulted in severe criticism inside and outside Israel, before he later apologized for it.
