Israeli Admission: Trump is the Main Reason for Not Annexing the West Bank

SadaNews - Israeli Foreign Minister Gidon Sa'ar stated that the opposition from U.S. President Donald Trump to Israel annexing the occupied West Bank is the obstacle preventing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government from taking this step.

Sa'ar's remarks are an official admission from a high-ranking Israeli minister that the main reason Israel is currently refraining from annexing the West Bank is not an internal consideration, but the stance of the Trump administration.

His comments came during a closed conversation at a meeting with members of the "Friends of Likud in America" association on Tuesday, which was reported by the Israeli newspaper "Yedioth Ahronoth".

The minister said, "Imposing sovereignty over the West Bank will only require coordination with the United States, and as you know, President Trump does not currently support that."

Trump has mentioned on several occasions that he would not allow Israel to annex the West Bank.

He continued, "We have no intention of doing so at least in the upcoming months, as it contradicts President Trump's approach, and surely doing so would alienate many allies from Israel."

At the same time, Sa'ar clarified that Israel opposes the establishment of a Palestinian state and is making what he described as "progress" in taking actions on the ground in the settlements.

He said, "This is one of the reasons for the tension in our relations with the European Union."