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Donald Trump has threatened to cut Israel adrift if they annex the West Bank in an extraordinary escalation as the president demands peace in the Middle East.

Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu oppose annexation – but right-wing factions in Jerusalem see an invasion of the territory as a means to blocking Palestinian statehood.

'Israel would lose all of its support from the United States if that happened,' Trump told Time Magazine for a cover story released Thursday following the president's historic peace deal in Gaza.

'It won't happen because I gave my word to the Arab countries.'

JD Vance - who rushed to Israel this week amid renewed bombing of the Gaza Strip - rebuked the Israeli parliament today accusing it of a 'personal insult' after it voted for annexing the West Bank.

Speaking at Tel Aviv's airport before departing, the vice president called the vote a 'very stupid political stunt.'

'I personally take some insult to it,' Vance added. 'The policy of the Trump administration is that the West Bank will not be annexed by Israel.'

Some speculate that the hard-liner's 25-24 symbolic vote was meant to embarrass Netanyahu while Vance was still in Israel.

It is unlikely that annexation would pass the multiple rounds of voting required to become law in Israel's Knesset, and Netanyahu has the ability to delay the proposal should it get that far.

The Trump administration and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu do not support the far-right proposal to annex the Palestinian strong-hold

However, the popularity of the idea to annex the West Bank is especially concerning as Trump's peace deal to end the two-year Israel-Hamas war hangs by a thread.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio acknowledged before departing for Israel on Wednesday that the Knesset vote could jeopardize the agreement to bring an end to the war in Gaza.

'President Trump has already made it clear that we do not support such moves right now,' Rubio said. 'We are concerned about anything that could undermine what we are working on.'

Trump announced in late September a 20-point plan for an end of war in Gaza with a deadline for Hamas to accept by October 5, 2025 with threats of escalation if it was rejected.

The deal was brokered and mediated by Egypt, Qatar, and Jordan and included a phased ceasefire, hostage release, demilitarization and reconstruction plan for the war torn Palestinian enclave.

In the Time interview, Trump stated emphatically that he was integral to ensuring peace in the Middle East.

'The most important thing is they have to respect the President of the United States. The Middle East has to understand that. It's almost the President more than the country,' he said.

Trump believes a cleaned-up Gaza could attract tourism and has compared it to beautiful and luxurious destinations like Dubai, Monaco and the French Riviera.

His deal includes a lengthy and likely very pricey plan to make war-torn Gaza a sought-after vacation spot.

VP JD Vance and Second Lady Usha Vance visited Israel this week in the early stages of the ceasefire with Hamas. Pictured: The second couple tours the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem on October 23, 2025
The plan is holding but frangible in the early stages.

The ceasefire is active, major hostage exchanges have occurred and aid is flowing into Gaza.

But there are still some outstanding issues straining the deal – like failure to return deceased hostages' remains and Israeli political moves to annex the other Palestinian enclave in the West Bank.

The United Arab Emirates, a key U.S. and Israeli ally in reaching peace in Gaza, insists annexation would be a 'red line.'

Some right-wing members of Israeli Parliament are upset over the ceasefire and believe the Jewish state made too many security sacrifices in the deal.

This post was edited on 10/23/25 at 1:24 pm