“US President Donald Trump and his closest advisers during a meeting on Monday asked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to change Israel’s policy in the occupied West Bank.”, — write: www.pravda.com.ua
Source: American news site Axios citing a US official and another source with direct knowledge of the conversation
Details: The White House believes escalating violence in the West Bank will undermine efforts to implement a Gaza peace deal and prevent the expansion of the Abraham Accords before Trump’s term ends, an official said.
Advertising:
Over the past three years, Netanyahu’s far-right government has actively promoted policies that have weakened and defunded the Palestinian Authority, dramatically expanded settlements in the West Bank, forcibly displaced Palestinian communities, and taken many other steps toward de facto annexation.
“Trump and his team expressed concern about the situation in the West Bank and asked Netanyahu to refrain from provocative steps and to ‘calm the situation down,'” he writes. Axios from the source link.
The publication notes that during the meeting, Netanyahu also expressed concern about the restoration of the military potential of Iran and Hezbollah, particularly in the field of long-range missiles.
And Trump made it clear in his public statements that further military strikes against Iran remain on the agenda.
Netanyahu agreed to move on to the second phase of the Gaza deal, despite differences with Trump’s team over its implementation, according to sources.
He also agreed to Trump’s request to resume talks with the Syrian government on a potential security pact.
“We had a long discussion about the West Bank. I wouldn’t say we’re 100% in agreement on the West Bank, but we will come to a conclusion on the West Bank,” Trump said during a news conference with Netanyahu after their meeting.
According to the data Axios, the US message was that a reversal of course in the West Bank was critical to restoring Israel’s relations with European countries and expanding the Abrahamic covenants.
According to the interlocutor of the publication, Netanyahu strongly criticized the violence by the settlers and said that he was going to take more decisive measures.
For reference: After returning to office, Trump reversed Biden-era sanctions against violent settlers in the West Bank and appointed Mike Huckabee, known for his staunch pro-settlement views, as ambassador to Israel.
Since then, two Palestinian-Americans have died in settler attacks, and fears of wider destabilization have grown. Huckabee even tried to get the Israeli government to change its policy, but without much success.
On Monday, Trump declined to say where his differences lie with Netanyahu over the West Bank.
“He will do the right thing. I know that. I know him very well. He will do the right thing,” Trump said.
In addition to this topic, during two joint press conferences with Netanyahu, Trump spoke highly of the Israeli prime minister and his policies, particularly regarding Gaza and Iran.
In September, Trump prevented Netanyahu from annexing part of the West Bank as a response to the wave of recognition of the state of Palestine by European countries. But at the time, he did not comment on Israel’s broader policy in the region.