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President Donald Trump has reassured Arab leaders that he will prevent Israel from annexing the already occupied West Bank, NBC News sources indicated, amidst concerns about repercussions from this U.S. ally following several countries’ recognition of Palestinian statehood.
Trump’s assurances were given on Tuesday, according to two sources present, as he outlined his 21-point peace strategy for the Middle East to Arab leaders who had gathered in New York for the United Nations General Assembly. Politico was the first to report on these statements.
According to Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff, the meeting with leaders from nations like Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Egypt, and Turkey was “productive.” He suggested that a significant development could be on the horizon in efforts to resolve the conflict in the Gaza Strip, where Israel has maintained an aggressive military push into Gaza City.
“We presented what we call the Trump 21-point plan for peace in the Mideast, specifically in Gaza,” Witkoff mentioned during the Concordia Annual Summit, which runs alongside the General Assembly.
He expressed optimism, saying, “I think it addresses Israeli concerns, as well as the concerns of all the neighbors in the region. We’re hopeful, and I might even say confident, that in the coming days, we’ll be able to announce some sort of breakthrough.”
However, immediate clarity on any progress was lacking, as previous promises of advancement in negotiations have not led to a resolution of Israel’s offensive on Gaza or the release of hostages still held there.
The spiraling conflict in the Middle East has been a focal point of the General Assembly this week, with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas expected to address the gathering Thursday, albeit by video after the U.S. last month revoked his visa, along with those of other Palestinian Authority officials.
Speaking with Gulf foreign ministers Wednesday during the assembly, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said: “We understand very clearly that the situation in Gaza, the situation with Israel and Gaza, is a key concern for everyone in this room here today.”
“We want this conflict to end,” he said. “We want it to end immediately.”
Rubio added that “some very important work is ongoing, even as we speak, and hoping to achieve this as soon as possible.”
Trump’s assurances to Arab leaders that he would not let Israel annex the West Bank came after right-wing members of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s fragile government coalition called for the move as a string of countries, including France, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and Portugal formally recognized Palestine as a state.
Palestinians envision the West Bank as a core territory for an internationally recognized Palestinian state, alongside Gaza and east Jerusalem. Annexation of the territory, which has been occupied by Israel since 1967, would further imperil that cause.
Netanyahu, who was traveling to New York on Thursday before addressing the General Assembly on Friday and meeting Trump next week, has declared that there will never be a Palestinian state under his watch.
Trump told the U.N. this week that the recognition moves risked rewarding Hamas.
Israel has already pushed ahead with a widely condemned settlement plan that would effectively split the West Bank in two, further fracturing what Palestinians envision as their future state.
Deadly settler violence and Israeli military operations have also increased in the Palestinian territory.
UAE leaders have said annexation of the West Bank would be a red line for the influential Gulf state, blocking any future recognition of Israel and preventing the completion of Trump’s landmark Abraham Accords that sought to establish diplomatic normalization between Israel and several Arab states.
