Rubio warns against W Bank annexation

FE Team | Published: October 23, 2025 23:41:07

Umm Jameela Abdul-Razzaq (R), a Palestinian woman, swifts through debris with her grandson upon returning to her home, which was heavily damaged by Israeli bombardments in the Bureij refugee camp, in Gaza on Thursday. — AFP

EW YORK, Oct 23 (BBC/AFP): The US Secretary of State has said that a move by Israel's parliament towards annexation of the occupied West Bank would threaten Washington's plan to end the conflict in Gaza.
"That's not something we can be supportive of right now," Marco Rubio said before leaving for Israel as part of US efforts to shore up a fragile ceasefire deal.
In an apparent attempt to embarrass Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, far-right politicians took the symbolic step of giving preliminary approval to a bill granting Israel authority to annex the West Bank.
The Palestinians claim the West Bank - occupied by Israel since 1967 - as part of a hoped-for independent state. Last year, the International Court of Justice - the UN's top court - said Israel's occupation was illegal.
Netanyahu has previously spoken in support of annexing West Bank land but has not advanced this due to the risk of alienating the US - Israel's most important ally - and Arab countries which have built relations with Israel after decades of enmity.
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