Vice President JD Vance criticized on Thursday a vote by the Israeli parliament to advance a invoice on the proposed annexation of the occupied West Financial institution, calling it “a very stupid political stunt.”
“I personally take some insult to it,” Vance mentioned at Israel’s Ben Gurion airport as he departed the nation after his go to. “The West Bank is not going to be annexed by Israel. The policy of the Trump administration is that the West Bank will not be annexed by Israel. That will continue to be our policy. And if people want to take symbolic votes, they can do that, but we certainly weren’t happy about it.”
The preliminary vote Wednesday in assist of Israeli annexation of the West Financial institution narrowly handed by 25 votes to 24, throughout Vance’s go to.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s workplace additionally criticized the vote on that invoice and one other narrower piece of annexation laws, calling them “a deliberate political provocation by the opposition to sow discord during Vice President JD Vance’s visit to Israel.”
Members of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s authorities together with (from left) Minister of Protection Israel Katz, Chief of Employees Tzachi Braverman, spokesperson Ziv Agmon, Minister of International Affairs Gideon Sa’ar and Main Normal Roman Gofman hear as U.S. Vice President JD Vance speaks throughout a gathering with Netanyahu (proper) on the Prime Minister’s Workplace, Oct. 22, 2025 in Jerusalem, Israel.
Nathan Howard-Pool/Getty/Nathan Howard for The New York Instances
Netanyahu’s workplace famous that with out his celebration’s assist within the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, “these bills are unlikely to go anywhere.”
The prime minister is dealing with a home political battle to stave off an early nationwide election, with some members of his far-right coalition authorities sad over the U.S.-brokered ceasefire in Gaza, which has held regardless of vital challenges over the weekend, with each side accusing the opposite of violations.
Although many members of Netanyahu’s coalition assist the Israeli annexation of the West Financial institution, they’ve dialed again their public requires it since President Trump spoke out towards the thought final month.
The broader annexation invoice may solely change into regulation after at the least two extra rounds of voting in Israel’s 120 seat parliament, which it might be unlikely to outlive.
Vance mentioned he hoped a world safety power would take over the duty of disarming Hamas, which Israel and Mr. Trump have demanded as a key subsequent step within the peace course of. He mentioned he additionally hoped reconstruction of areas in Gaza the place Hamas is not working may occur “fairly quickly.”
“This is all still pretty early, but that’s the basic idea,” Vance mentioned Thursday. “Take the areas where Hamas is not operating, start to rebuild very quickly, start to bring in the Gazans so that they can live there, so they can have good jobs and hopefully some security and comfort, too, very quickly.”
Vance mentioned he hoped that the southern metropolis of Rafah could possibly be rebuilt in two to 3 years.
