U.S. President Donald Trump issued his sharpest rebuke yet to Israel over its plans to annex the occupied West Bank, warning that such a move would “end all American support” for the country, even as his administration tried to hold together a fragile cease-fire in Gaza.
The remarks, published Thursday by Time magazine, stemmed from an Oct. 15 interview held days after the U.S.-brokered Gaza truce took effect. Trump, who has made Middle East stability a central piece of his foreign policy, was unequivocal.
“It won’t happen,” he said when asked about Israeli calls to annex the Palestinian West Bank, occupied since 1967. “It won’t happen because I gave my word to the Arab countries. Israel would lose all of its support from the United States if that happened.”
His warning came as Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President J.D. Vance both visited Israel this week amid political upheaval in Jerusalem and renewed violence in the West Bank.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio listens to U.S. military personnel as he visits the Civil-Military Coordination Center in southern Israel, Oct. 24, 2025. (AFP Photo)
Washington’s balancing act
Israeli lawmakers on Wednesday advanced two bills that would pave the way for formal annexation – legislation swiftly condemned by Vance, who called the vote “a very stupid political stunt.” He emphasized that U.S. policy under Trump “will not permit annexation of the West Bank.”
Rubio echoed the warning but struck a more diplomatic tone after meeting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday.
“We feel confident and positive about the progress that’s being made,” Rubio said. “We’re clear-eyed about the challenges, too.”
Standing beside him, Netanyahu sought to downplay tensions with Washington, calling Rubio “an extraordinary friend of Israel” and describing the back-to-back visits by senior U.S. officials as part of a “circle of trust and partnership.”
The Likud leader’s coalition has been divided on the annexation issue. While some members of his government support the move, Netanyahu’s party boycotted the vote.
Arab and Muslim countries – including Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Türkiye – warned in a joint statement that annexation would cross a “red line” and jeopardize cooperation on Gaza’s post-war recovery.
Rising violence and fragile peace
The cease-fire in Gaza – part of Trump’s 20-point peace plan – remains tenuous. The deal envisions an international stabilization force made up of Arab and Muslim allies overseeing Gaza’s transition once Israeli forces withdraw.
But violence continues to flare. The Palestinian Health Ministry in Ramallah said nearly 1,000 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank since Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, incursion triggered the war in Gaza.
Israeli officials say 43 Israelis, including soldiers, have been killed in the same period.
On Sunday, Israeli airstrikes in Gaza killed at least 45 Palestinians, following the deaths of two Israeli soldiers. A drone strike Thursday in Khan Yunis killed another, according to Gaza’s Nasser Hospital.
“Disarming Hamas and rebuilding Gaza will be a very, very tough task,” Vance said before leaving Israel, describing the region’s path to stability as “the hardest challenge of our generation.”
Meanwhile, rival Palestinian factions Hamas and Fatah met in Cairo to discuss post-war governance, Egyptian media reported.
Humanitarian struggle deepens
Inside Gaza, civilians remain trapped in desperation.
“We were afraid of dying during the war, and now we’re afraid of living after it,” said Maher Abu Wafah, 42. “Our lives and our children’s future are slipping away before our eyes. We just want a stable life.”
The World Health Organization said aid deliveries remain critically low, despite the cease-fire. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters that food shortages persist and “there is no dent in hunger because there is not enough food.”
As Washington tries to steady a region still reeling from years of war, Trump’s blunt message to Israel underscores a rare shift – a U.S. president publicly threatening to withhold support from its closest ally in the Middle East.
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