Trump’s picks spur renewed push for West Bank annexation in Israel
Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Donald Trump’s election victory has triggered a renewed push by some in Israel’s right-wing government to annex the occupied West Bank, an idea that is seen as illegal by most of the international community and could threaten Israel’s relations with its Arab allies. On Wednesday, Trump’s nominee for U.S.
ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, said in an interview with Israel’s Army Radio that “of course" annexation of the West Bank is possible in the next administration but the policy hasn’t been set. It was the first signal that the new American administration might be open to the idea, which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pushed for during the first Trump administration. As part of the Abraham Accords of 2020 with Arab countries such as the United Arab Emirates, Netanyahu promised to take annexation off the table.
Since Trump’s election, far-right ministers and leaders of settlement councils in the West Bank have said it is time to renew the push. “Trump’s victory brings with it an important opportunity for the State of Israel," far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said Monday. “2025 [is] the year of sovereignty in Judea and Samaria," he added, using the term Israel applies to the West Bank.
Foreign Minister Gideon Saar took a less firm position, saying Monday that the possibility of annexation would need to be discussed with Washington. Huckabee, a former Arkansas governor who reflects the views of pro-Israel evangelical Christians, is among several backers of Israel whom Trump has said will join his administration. They include Rep.
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