US senators urge Trump to take firmer stance against Israel's annexation of West Bank

HAMILTON, Canada

More than 40 Democratic senators urged US President Donald Trump to take a stronger public stance against any Israeli move to annex parts of the occupied West Bank, according to a letter obtained Tuesday by the Axios news portal.

The lawmakers, led by Sen. Adam Schiff, welcomed Trump's recent comments rejecting annexation and urged his administration to "promote steps to preserve the viability of a two-state solution and the success of the Abraham Accords."

"Since your plan for Gaza does not address the West Bank, it is imperative that your Administration reinforce your comments and emphasize its opposition to annexation," the letter added.

Warning that Israel's illegal attempt to annex the occupied West Bank would "undermine the prospect of lasting peace through negotiations to achieve a two-state solution," the senators also noted that such a move risks Trump's "past achievements under the Abraham Accords and the possibility of expanding them further."

"We are relieved that the hostages have been released, and it is vital that humanitarian aid surge into Gaza," the letter said, adding that the US must reject steps that undermine the possibility of a negotiated two-state solution.

Since the start of Israel's genocide in Gaza in October 2023, the Israeli army has carried out more than 1,014 demolitions in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, targeting 3,679 structures, among them 1,288 inhabited homes and 244 uninhabited ones, and issued 1,667 demolition notices for homes and other facilities, according to data from the Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission, a Palestinian government body.

Local authorities said that more than 1,056 Palestinians have been killed in the occupied West Bank, around 10,300 wounded, and over 20,000 arrested, including 1,600 children, since the Gaza war began more than two years ago.

In a landmark opinion in July last year, the International Court of Justice declared Israel's occupation of Palestinian territory illegal and called for the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.