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US Vice President JD Vance rejected Israel’s proposed annexation of the West Bank as a “stupid political stunt,” reaffirming Washington’s opposition to unilateral actions and commitment to the Gaza ceasefire.
US Vice President JD Vance delivered a sharp rebuke to Israeli lawmakers on Thursday, explicitly rejecting any annexation of the West Bank and characterizing the recent Knesset vote on the matter as “a stupid political stunt.”
Speaking to reporters in Tel Aviv, Vance left no ambiguity about the Trump administration’s position regarding the occupied Palestinian territory.
Clear US Policy Statement
“If it was a political stunt, it was a very stupid political stunt, and I personally take some insult to it,” Vance said regarding the Knesset’s preliminary approval of a bill to impose Israeli sovereignty over the occupied West Bank.
He then delivered the administration’s definitive position: “The West Bank is not going to be annexed by Israel. The policy of the Trump administration is that the West Bank will not be annexed by Israel. That will continue to be our policy.”
Vance’s remarks came a day after the Knesset approved, by a vote of 25 to 24, a bill to impose Israeli sovereignty over the occupied West Bank.
Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir welcomed the vote, saying: “The time to impose sovereignty over the West Bank has come now.”
Meanwhile, the Likud party, which leads the ruling coalition, described the bill as “showy” and damaging to relations with Washington.
The US Vice President said that such unilateral steps “contradict Israel’s commitments to the peace process and international agreements,” and reiterated that Washington’s message to Israel was clear: The need to maintain the Gaza ceasefire and avoid any action that could reignite tensions.
‘Despite Exceptions’
Vance also addressed the situation in Gaza, affirming that both Hamas and Israel are respecting the ceasefire “despite some exceptions.”
He made clear that “the United States would not deploy American soldiers in the Gaza Strip,” reaffirming Washington’s commitment to maintaining the ceasefire and advancing reconstruction.
According to Vance, reconstruction efforts would begin in areas “free of Hamas,” but he cautioned that it was still too early to launch large-scale rebuilding. He added that the United States hoped to see the reconstruction of Rafah “within two or three years.”
On October 9, Hamas and Israel agreed to a ceasefire and prisoner exchange following indirect negotiations in Sharm El-Sheikh under US sponsorship and mediation by Qatar, Egypt, and Turkiye according to The Palestine Chronicle.
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