White House Opposes Israeli Move to Annex Occupied West Bank Territory

Washington D.C. The White House has stated its opposition to Israel's move to formally annex territory in the occupied West Bank.

“A stable West Bank is important for Israel's security and aligns with this administration's goal of establishing regional peace,” a White House official told Reuters on Monday. This reaction comes as Israel's far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant announced new measures on Sunday to further expand Israeli control over the occupied Palestinian territory. These measures will also facilitate Israeli citizens to acquire land for new settlements, which is illegal under international law.

Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and the UAE strongly condemned the move in a joint statement, calling it an attempt to impose illegal Israeli sovereignty.

United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, the United Kingdom, and Spain have also criticized the move. Guterres' spokesperson, Stephane Dujarric, stated that these steps undermine the two-state solution and increase instability. When asked by an Al Jazeera journalist at the UN headquarters whether this move constituted actual annexation, Dujarric said that these decisions push peace further away and undermine the Palestinian people's right to self-determination, making it weaker.