Israel under pressure in US to reverse ‘reckless’ West Bank expansion ahead of Trump-Netanyahu summit

Pressure is mounting on Israel to scrap its plans to expand settlements in the West Bank ahead of a meeting between Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House.

The Israeli prime minister has authorised steps that would make it easier for Israeli settlers to buy land in the occupied West Bank, while granting Israel broader powers in an area the Palestinians see as the heartland of a future state.

Eight U.S. Democratic senators on Tuesday urged Trump to oppose the settlements, which they said would go against the country’s longstanding policy on the issue, as well as the president’s own position.

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The group’s statement reads: “We have long expressed our concern that these reckless moves make the possibility of a two-state solution, where Israelis and Palestinians can live side by side in peace and security, further out of reach.

“We urge Prime Minister Netanyahu to reverse course. When President Trump meets with Prime Minister Netanyahu this week, we also urge the president to clearly reinforce the opposition of the U.S. government to Israeli government actions that set the conditions for irreversible annexation.”

The letter — signed by senators Jack Reed, Jeanne Shaheen, Mark Warner, Patty Murray, Dick Durbin, Chuck Schumer, Chris Coons and Britain Schatz — followed a caveated admission from Trump that he opposed annexation ahead of the Wednesday summit.

Trump will meet with Netanyahu at the White House where they are expected to discuss the future of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire and the lingering tensions with Iran.

In his seventh meeting with Trump since the president returned to office nearly 13 months ago, Netanyahu will be looking to influence the next round of U.S. discussions with Iran following nuclear negotiations held in Oman last Friday.

Asked by Axios about the settlement move ahead of the meeting, the president said: “I am against annexation. We have enough things to think about now. We don’t need to be dealing with the West Bank.”

And a White House official reiterated Trump's opposition toward Israel annexing the West Bank on Monday, saying: “A stable West Bank keeps Israel secure and is in line with this administration’s goal to achieve peace in the region.”

Trump has put himself at the forefront of efforts to bring peace to the troubled region, helping steer a plan to end the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza late last year.

The two-year war saw a rise in the number of Israeli settlements in the distinct West Bank, exacerbating tensions and jeopardising future Palestinian statehood.

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New measures in violation of the Oslo Accords would cancel a decades-old ban on the direct sale of West Bank land to Jews and declassify local land registry records. Settlers, until now, could only buy homes from registered companies on land controlled by Israel’s government.

Israeli politicians on the far-right have openly pushed for settlers to be able to take Palestinian land. Finance minister Bezalel Smotrich, leader of the Religious Zionism party, said of the move: “We will continue to kill the idea of ​​a Palestinian state.”

The UK has said it “strongly condemned” the move and called on Israel to reverse the decision.

A Foreign Office spokesperson said: “The UK has been clear: any unilateral attempt to alter the geographic or demographic make-up of Palestine is wholly unacceptable and would be inconsistent with international law. We call on Israel to reverse these decisions immediately.”