Vance Criticizes Israel’s Parliament Vote On West Bank Annexation, Says The Move Was An ‘Insult’

JERUSALEM (AP) — U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance on Thursday criticized Israel’s parliamentary vote on annexing the West Bank, saying it amounted to an “insult.” Vance’s harsh words came as his visit wrapped up on Thursday and after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he would now travel to Israel.

Vance’s remarks and intense diplomacy show that US President Donald Trump’s administration intends to maintain the growth momentum. US brokered ceasefire Between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

Speaking on the tarmac of Tel Aviv’s international airport before leaving Israel, Vance said that if the Knesset vote “is a political demonstration, then this is a very stupid political demonstration.”

“I personally find it a little insulting,” Vance said. “The policy of the Trump administration is that the West Bank should not be annexed by Israel.”

Earlier this week, Vance announced the opening of a store. civil military coordination center Approximately 200 US soldiers in southern Israel are working with the Israeli army and delegations from other countries to plan the stabilization and reconstruction of Gaza.

Rubio told reporters at Joint Base Andrews late Wednesday that he plans to visit the center and appoint a Foreign Service official to work with Vice Adm. Brad Cooper, the top U.S. military commander in the Middle East.

The United States is seeking support from other allies, especially the Gulf Arab countries, to create an international stabilization force to be deployed in Gaza and to train a Palestinian force.

“We would like to see non-Hamas Palestinian police forces in Gaza who would do good work, but they still need to be trained and equipped,” he said.

Rubio also criticized efforts by far-right politicians in Israel’s parliament, who on Wednesday took the symbolic step of giving preliminary approval to a bill that would give Israel the authority to annex Israel. occupied the West Bank – A move opposed by the USA.

Trump “made clear that this is not something we would support at this time, and we think it potentially threatens the peace agreement,” he said.

The bill passed by a vote of 25 to 24. It is unclear whether the bill has the support to win a majority in the 120-seat parliament, and Netanyahu has the tools to delay or defeat it.

Meanwhile, Vance visited the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. Vast 12th-century basilica Where Christians believe Jesus was crucified, died and resurrected in Jerusalem’s Old City.

He is then expected to meet with the Israeli Defense Minister, Israeli military leaders and other officials at army headquarters in Tel Aviv.

On Wednesday, Vance sought to ease concerns that the Trump administration was dictating terms to its closest ally in the Middle East.

Speaking alongside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Vance said, in response to a reporter’s question about whether Israel had become a “protectorate” of the United States, “We do not want a vassal state in Israel, and neither is Israel. We want a partnership, we want an ally.”

Netanyahu, who will also meet with Rubio, expressed similar sentiments, acknowledging their differences in advancing the US-proposed ceasefire agreement.

Israeli media dubbed the non-stop parade of visiting American officials “Bibi-sitting” to get Israel to take its side on the fragile ceasefire. The term, which uses Netanyahu’s nickname Bibi, refers to an old campaign ad in which Netanyahu positioned himself as the “Bibi babysitter” voters could trust with their children.

In the first medical evacuation since the ceasefire began on October 10, the head of the World Health Organization said on Thursday that they evacuated 41 critically ill patients and 145 companions from the region. Gaza strip.

In a statement sent to X, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called on countries to show solidarity and help the approximately 15,000 patients still waiting for approval to receive medical care outside Gaza.

Their calls were echoed on Wednesday by an official from the UN Population Fund, who described the “complete devastation” he witnessed during his last trip to Gaza and said there was no such thing as “normal birth in Gaza right now”.

UNFPA executive director Andrew Saberton told reporters how difficult the agency’s work has become as health facilities fail to function or even survive.

“I wasn’t fully prepared for what I saw. It can’t be possible. The extent of the destruction resembled the set of a dystopian movie. Unfortunately, it’s not fiction,” he said.

Saberton added that Palestinian women cannot access hospitals. “Mostly, they don’t even have access to a private space in a tent. There are stories of women giving birth in the rubble on the side of the road,” he said.

Separately on Thursday, the Israeli Supreme Court held a hearing on whether the Gaza Strip should be opened to international media and gave the state 30 days to present a new position in light of the new situation under the ceasefire.

Israel has prevented journalists from entering Gaza since the war began on October 7, 2023.

The Foreign Press Association, which represents dozens of international news organizations including the Associated Press, had asked the court to order the government to open the border.

In a statement following Thursday’s decision, the FPA expressed “disappointment” and said the Israeli government’s stance of denying journalists access was “unacceptable”.

The court rejected the FPA’s request early in the war because the government objected on security grounds. The group made a second access request in September 2024. The government postponed the case many times.

Palestinian journalists covered the two-year-long war to the international media. But like all Palestinians, they suffered strict restrictions on movement and food shortages, were repeatedly displaced and forced to work at great risk. Nearly 200 Palestinian journalists were killed by Israeli fire, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.

“It is time for Israel to lift the closure and allow us to do our job together with our Palestinian counterparts,” FPA president Tania Kraemer said.

Lee reported from Washington. Josef Federman in Jerusalem and Farnush Amiri in New York contributed to this report.

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