President Trump Says Israel Is ‘Behaving Very Nicely’ Regarding Postwar Deal, Claims West Bank Annexation Won’t Happen
By The Media Line Staff
US President Donald Trump downplayed an Israeli Knesset preliminary bill calling for annexation of the West Bank and said Israel was “behaving very nicely” regarding compliance with his 20-point Gaza cease-fire and postwar plan.
The Knesset advanced two measures on Wednesday proposing Israeli sovereignty in the West Bank. The first bill passed narrowly, 25–24, and the second by a wider margin of 32–9.
Both votes occurred while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition abstained, following instructions from the premier to halt all sovereignty-related legislation. The Prime Minister’s Office later condemned the votes as “a deliberate provocation” timed to embarrass the government during US Vice President J.D. Vance’s visit.
“Don’t worry—Israel isn’t going to do anything with the West Bank,” President Trump told Time. “They’re behaving very nicely.” The president added that he had personally cautioned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu against expanding the conflict, telling him, “You can’t fight the world. Israel is small compared to the world.”
President Trump also recounted his role in halting Israel’s war in Gaza, revealing that he told Netanyahu the world was turning against Israel and that continuing the operation could isolate the country. He described Israel’s failed strike against Hamas leaders in Doha as “a tactical mistake” but said it helped bring about the ceasefire and eventual hostage deal.
One measure, sponsored by Avi Maoz of the Noam Party, called for extending Israeli sovereignty across all of the West Bank. The second, proposed by Yisrael Beiteinu leader Avigdor Liberman, focused solely on annexing Ma’ale Adumim, east of Jerusalem.
J.D. Vance, who was concluding a visit to Israel to meet with security officials, reacted sharply, calling the legislation “a stupid political stunt” and saying he was “personally insulted” by its timing. He stressed that “the West Bank will not be annexed by Israel,” describing the Knesset votes as symbolic gestures without policy weight. Secretary of State Marco Rubio echoed those comments, warning that the moves could endanger President Trump’s Gaza peace framework.
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