Israel tests Trump’s limits with annexation vote

The Trump administration has warned Israel that any attempt to annex parts of the occupied West Bank would jeopardize U.S. support, as Washington attempts to stabilise a fragile ceasefire in Gaza.

The New York Times reported on October 23rd, following an interview with Donald Trump, that annexation “won’t happen” because he had pledged to Arab states that the U.S. would oppose such a move. “Israel would lose all of its support from the United States if that happened,” he said.

The remarks come against the backdrop of votes in Israel’s Knesset in favour of annexing parts of the West Bank, a territory viewed internationally as the core of a future Palestinian state, however such votes have been dismissed as symbolic. Although the measures have no legal force, they triggered a sharp reaction from Washington and deepened tensions during a sensitive diplomatic period.

U.S. Vice President JD Vance, visiting Israel as the votes were held, expressed frustration over the move. “If it was a political stunt, it was a very stupid political stunt, and I personally take some insult to it,” he told reporters in Jerusalem. “The West Bank is not going to be annexed by Israel.”

The Trump administration has attempted to downplay the latest votes in Israel’s Knesset as symbolic “political stunt”,  however in reality the annexation of the West Bank is already well underway following decades of illegal settlement construction, which has only accelerated since the start of Israel’s genocide in Gaza in October 2023.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu moved quickly to calm tensions, calling the votes “a deliberate political provocation by the opposition” aimed at sowing discord during the vice president’s visit. He said the bills were unlikely to advance without backing from his Likud party.

The debate over annexation comes as Washington and regional partners attempt to consolidate a ceasefire that has temporarily paused two years of genocide in Gaza. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, preparing to travel to Israel, said the administration would not support annexation “right now,” warning it could destabilize the peace process and derail efforts toward Palestinian self-determination.

Israel’s ruling coalition remains divided over the issue. Some ultranationalist members, including Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, have openly called for annexation. Smotrich sparked outrage after making racist and provocative comments toward Saudi Arabia, a key regional power that the U.S. hopes to bring into future normalisation agreements. He stated that if the price of the normalisation of relations with Saudi Arabia and other Arab states was the formation of a Palestinian state, “No thank you. Keep riding camels in the sands of the Saudi desert”.

Following criticism from across Israel’s political spectrum, Smotrich apologised for his “out of place” comments but reiterated his belief in Israel’s historic right to the territory and desires for a “Greater Israel”.

The U.S. position underscores growing tension between Washington and Tel Aviv, as both sides navigate a postwar landscape where Gaza’s reconstruction, governance and the prospect of a Palestinian state remain unresolved.

Often referred to as America’s greatest ally, Israel has repeatedly gone against America’s interests in the region, such as its airstrikes against Hamas officials in Qatar in September.

It remains to be seen if the Trump administration’s comments following the “symbolic” vote are simply empty words, or whether Trump will reign in his regional attack dog.

The New York Times, Maghrebi.org