Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently met with the top official in the Binyamin Region to discuss the future of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank under a potential Donald Trump presidency. Yisrael Gantz, Binyamin’s Regional Council Chief, confirmed that settlements were among the topics discussed during the meeting, but did not provide specific details on any concrete plans.
The Binyamin Region, located north of Jerusalem, is home to approximately 80,000 Israeli settlers in the West Bank. It is important to note that under international law, Israeli settlements in the West Bank are considered illegal as the international community views the West Bank, along with Gaza and East Jerusalem, as occupied territory. However, Israel disputes this characterization.
Israel’s finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, has initiated preparations for the annexation of settlements in the Israeli-occupied West Bank following Trump’s victory in the US election. Smotrich believes that Trump’s presidency presents a significant opportunity for Israel and aims to work with the new administration to achieve sovereignty and international recognition for the settlements.
Gideon Sa’ar, Israel’s new foreign minister, clarified that no official decision has been made regarding annexation, but the topic has been previously discussed during Trump’s first term as US president. Sa’ar mentioned that if annexation becomes relevant, further discussions will be held with US officials in Washington.
During his first term, Trump made several pro-Israel decisions, including recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel in 2017 and acknowledging Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights, which is considered occupied territory under international law.
