Trump says not to allow Israeli annexation of West Bank

WASHINGTON - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he will not allow Israel to annex the West Bank, a "red line" drawn by Arab leaders amid efforts to seek a ceasefire deal in Gaza.

"I will not allow Israel to annex the West Bank. I will not allow it. It's not going to happen," Trump told reporters in the White House. "It's been enough. It's time to stop now," the president added, saying he had spoken to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Trump promised Arab and Muslim leaders that he would not allow the annexation during a closed-door meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, a key promise in a 21-point plan presented by the Trump administration for ending the Israel-Hamas conflict and establishing a non-Hamas body to govern Gaza, Politico reported.

The latest plan comes as international pressure mounts on Israel amid a worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Leaders and senior officials from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Egypt, Jordan, Turkey, Indonesia and Pakistan attended the meeting.

The United Arab Emirates has previously warned that any Israeli move to annex would be a "red line."

However, the report, citing a source familiar with the talks, said that a ceasefire to end Israel's nearly two-year war against Hamas in Gaza was nowhere close to fruition, despite Trump's assurance.

While meeting with visiting Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the White House earlier on Thursday, Trump told reporters that "a lot was determined in that meeting."

"We're close to getting some kind of a deal done," he said, "we want to get the hostages back... We want them all back at one time."

The Arab leaders asked the following conditions to be met: Israel will not annex parts of the West Bank or Gaza, not occupy parts of Gaza, not build settlements in Gaza, and Israel will stop undermining the status quo at the Al-Aqsa Mosque, and humanitarian aid to Gaza will immediately increase, said the report.