US Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio criticised the Israeli parliament’s vote to annex the occupied West Bank.
Yesterday, far-right politicians in the Knesset gave preliminary approval to a bill applying Israeli law in the territory. Vance, who was in Israel, labelled it a “very stupid political stunt”.
Rubio also cautioned that annexation would threaten US President Donald Trump’s peace plan for Gaza.
US Vice President JD Vance.Credit: AP
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was clear in condemning the vote as a “deliberate political provocation by the opposition to sow discord”.
A statement from Netanyahu’s office also stressed that his right-wing party and coalition partners did not vote in favour of the bill and that it was unlikely to go anywhere without their political support.
“If it was a political stunt, it was a very stupid political stunt and I personally take some insult,” Vance told reporters.
“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.”
With agencies
