A top official from the White House reaffirmed President Donald Trump’s disapproval of Israel’s potential annexation of the West Bank on Monday. The official emphasized the importance of a stable West Bank in ensuring Israel’s security and aligning with the administration’s peace efforts in the region.
Global condemnation mounted following Israeli intentions to strengthen control over the occupied West Bank, drawing serious concerns from the United Nations Secretary-General. Saudi Arabia and seven other predominantly Muslim nations criticized the new Israeli actions, which facilitate increased settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Defense Minister Israel Katz unveiled the measures on Sunday, endorsed by the security cabinet, enabling Jewish Israelis to directly purchase land in the West Bank and expanding Israeli authority in areas under Palestinian governance. The implementation timeline for these regulations remains uncertain, although no further approvals are necessary, as per AFP reports.
Simultaneously, Israeli military strikes in central Gaza resulted in the deaths of three Palestinians on the previous day. Al-Aqsa Hospital sources reported casualties from Israeli airstrikes on Salah ud-Din Street, while a Palestinian woman lost her life in al-Masdar village. Additionally, forty individuals from the sixth group of returnees entered the Gaza Strip via the Rafah crossing.