Trump Says He Will Not Allow Netanyahu To Annex West bank

United States president Donald Trump on Thursday said that he will not allow Israel to annex the West Bank, asserting that “it’s time to stop now”. Trump also claimed that a ceasefire deal on Gaza was “pretty close,” AP reported.

The remarks came ahead of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to the UN General Assembly on Friday. 

Trump said that “I will not allow Israel to annex the West Bank. I will not allow it. It’s not going to happen,” while signing  an unrelated signing of executive orders in the Oval Office. “It’s been enough. It’s time to stop now,” he added. 

Israel is under mounting pressure from both outside and inside the country with several nations formally recognising a Palestinian state. However, some far-right members have supported Israel’s expanding offensive in Gaza to capture all of the Palestinian territory. 

Trump, during the signing, said that he had also spoken to several Middle-Eastern leaders as well stating "We're getting pretty close to having a deal on Gaza, and maybe even peace.”

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, while addressing the assembly, said he was ready to work with world leaders to implement a peace plan for both nations put forward by France earlier this week. 

He thanked those countries which had recently recognised a Palestinian state in a wave of declarations that started with Canada, Australia, the UK and Portugal on Sunday, followed by France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, San Marino, Andorra, and Denmark.

"Hamas will not have a role to play in governance," Abbas said in his speech. He also called for a Palestinian state to assume "full responsibilities" for the Gaza Strip following an Israeli withdrawal and connect it with the Israeli-occupied West Bank, BBC reported.