Eurasia Press & News
Britain called on Israel to reverse its decision
US President Donald Trump opposes Israeli annexation of the occupied West Bank, a White House official said, after Israel moved to ease settlement expansion and widen its powers in the Palestinian territory.
The Israeli measures have drawn international criticism and are being seen as another dangerous step in the direction of annexation, a priority for many ministers in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.
“A stable West Bank keeps Israel secure and is in line with this administration’s goal to achieve peace in the region,” the White House official said, according to Reuters.
The changes announced on Sunday include the scrapping of regulations that prevent Jewish private citizens from buying land in the West Bank. They were also reported to include allowing Israeli authorities to administer some religious sites and expanding supervision and enforcement in areas under Palestinian Authority administration, including matters related to environmental hazards, water offences and damage to archaeological sites.
The UK on Monday called on Israel to reverse its decision. “The UK strongly condemns the Israeli Security Cabinet’s decision yesterday to expand Israeli control over the West Bank,” the British government said. Critics have said Israel’s move to ease settlement expansion and widen its powers in the West Bank went in the direction of annexing occupied land.
“Any unilateral attempt to alter the geographic or demographic make-up of Palestine is wholly unacceptable and would be inconsistent with international law. We call on Israel to reverse these decisions immediately,” it added.
“We urge the Palestinian people to maintain their steadfastness and resilience on the land of their homeland and to firmly reject any dealings with occupation laws,” Palestinian Vice President Hussein Al Sheikh, one of the most influential figures in the Palestinian Authority, wrote on X on Tuesday.
He also called on the international community “to stand firmly against the extremist right-wing government in Israel and its expansionist, settler-colonial, and racist occupation practices.”
Arab and Islamic states had earlier condemned the move. In a joint statement, the foreign ministers of Egypt, Jordan, the UAE, Indonesia, Pakistan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar said the decision was aimed at “accelerating attempts at its illegal annexation and the displacement of the Palestinian people”.
The new measures come days before Mr Netanyahu is set to meet Mr Trump in Washington.
The US President has previously ruled out Israeli annexation of the West Bank but his administration has not sought to curb Israel’s accelerated settlement building, which the Palestinians say denies them a potential state by eating away at their territory. Mr Netanyahu, who is facing an election later this year, has described the establishment of any Palestinian state as a security threat.
