In a dramatic turn on the world stage, U.S. President Donald Trump issued a firm and unexpected ultimatum this week: Israel will not be allowed to annex the occupied West Bank. The declaration, made in the Oval Office on September 25, 2025, just ahead of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s much-anticipated address to the United Nations General Assembly, sent ripples through diplomatic circles and marked a rare red line for the Trump administration regarding Israeli policy.
“I will not allow Israel to annex the West Bank. Nope, I will not allow it. It’s not going to happen,” Trump told reporters, as reported by the Associated Press and BBC. The president, who had spoken with Netanyahu earlier in the day, added, “It’s been enough. It’s time to stop now.” His words came as Israel faced mounting international scrutiny over its actions in both the West Bank and Gaza, and as a wave of Western nations—including Canada, Australia, the UK, and Portugal—formally recognized an independent Palestinian state. France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, San Marino, and Andorra soon followed, signaling a shift in the diplomatic winds.
Trump’s stance aligns, perhaps surprisingly, with the position of many Western and Arab leaders, who have repeatedly warned that Israeli annexation of the West Bank would effectively kill any remaining hope for a two-state solution. The West Bank, home to over 3.3 million Palestinians and more than 700,000 Israelis, has been under Israeli military occupation since 1967. Far-right elements within Netanyahu’s coalition have pushed for outright annexation, seeing it as a way to prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state. But the American president’s message was unambiguous: annexation is off the table.
According to CNN, the Trump administration had, just days earlier, presented a 21-point plan to Arab leaders aimed at ending the war in Gaza. The proposal included the release of all Israeli hostages held by Hamas, a permanent ceasefire, a framework for governing Gaza without Hamas, and a gradual Israeli withdrawal from the enclave. Regional leaders reportedly endorsed many aspects of the plan, but insisted that any agreement must include a ban on West Bank annexation, maintenance of the status quo in Jerusalem, increased humanitarian aid to Gaza, and a halt to Israel’s settlement expansion.
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, who met with Trump in New York, told reporters, “What I can say about the meeting with President Trump, which I think was a very important meeting, is that the Arab and Muslim countries made very clear to the president the danger of annexation of any type in the West Bank.” He added, “Annexation poses risks not just to the potential of peace in Gaza, but also to any sustainable peace at all.”
The timing of Trump’s declaration was critical. Netanyahu had just arrived in New York, preparing to address the UN and meet with Trump. His government had recently approved a controversial settlement expansion plan, including the long-delayed E1 project, which would effectively split the West Bank and make a contiguous Palestinian state nearly impossible. Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich had declared that the move “erased” the idea of a Palestinian state, framing it as Israel’s answer to the growing number of countries recognizing Palestine.
Netanyahu, for his part, had promised to clarify Israel’s position after meeting with Trump at the White House. Before his UN address on September 26, his office launched a “Remember October 7” campaign in New York, with billboards and trucks around the UN and Times Square, referencing the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel in 2023 that killed about 1,200 people and resulted in 251 hostages. During his speech, Netanyahu lashed out at countries recognizing a Palestinian state. “This week, the leaders of France, Britain, Australia, Canada, and other countries unconditionally recognized a Palestinian state. They did so after the horrors committed by Hamas on October 7 – horrors praised on that day by nearly 90% of the Palestinian population,” he said, according to Reuters. “You know what message the leaders who recognize the Palestinian state this week sent to the Palestinians? It’s a very clear message: murdering Jews pays off.”
Meanwhile, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, barred from traveling to New York due to a U.S. visa denial, delivered his own video address to the UN General Assembly. Abbas expressed readiness to work with Trump, Saudi Arabia, France, and the UN to implement peace plans announced earlier in the week. “Today we say clearly: peace cannot be achieved if justice is not achieved, and there can be no justice if Palestine is not freed,” Abbas declared. He also called for a Palestinian state to assume “full responsibilities” for Gaza following an Israeli withdrawal and to connect it with the West Bank.
The situation on the ground remains dire. According to the UN-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), more than half a million people in Gaza are facing “catastrophic” conditions, with starvation and destitution widespread. The Israeli military campaign in Gaza, launched after the October 7, 2023, attacks, has resulted in at least 65,419 Palestinian deaths—including more than 18,000 children—according to Gaza’s health ministry. Israel has categorically denied allegations of genocide, rejecting a recent UN commission of inquiry report as “distorted and false.”
International pressure on Israel continues to mount. The European Commission has proposed restricting trade with Israel and sanctioning extremist ministers in response to the Gaza war. This week, Microsoft cut off services to a unit of Israel’s Ministry of Defence after discovering its technology was used for mass surveillance in Gaza. The United Arab Emirates, a key signatory of the Abraham Accords, has warned that annexation would be a “red line” and would “end the pursuit of regional integration.” French President Emmanuel Macron echoed this, stating that annexation would mark the end of the Abraham Accords and that “Europeans and Americans are on the same page.”
Inside the West Bank, the situation has grown increasingly tense. Israel has increased roadblocks and installed iron gates, severely restricting Palestinian movement. Following the killing of two Israeli soldiers near the border, Israel closed the only crossing between the West Bank and Jordan, effectively cutting off over two million Palestinians from the outside world. Israeli settler attacks and land grabs have escalated, and military operations have intensified since the events of October 2023.
As the world watches, the future of the region hangs in the balance. Trump’s unexpected red line on annexation has reshuffled diplomatic calculations, but the road to peace remains fraught with obstacles and uncertainty. With both Israeli and Palestinian leaders staking out uncompromising positions and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza deepening, the international community faces a daunting challenge: can this new stance from Washington nudge both sides back toward genuine negotiations—or will it simply harden the lines in a conflict that has already cost too much?