US Secretary of State Marco Rubio late on Wednesday warned that moves by the Israeli parliament toward the annexation of the West Bank could threaten US President Donald Trump’s plan to end the war in Gaza, which has yielded a shaky ceasefire so far.
“That’s a vote in the Knesset, but obviously I think the president’s made clear that’s not something we’d be supportive of right now, and we think it’s potentially threatening to the peace deal,” Rubio told reporters before leaving for Israel.
Rubio’s visit is the latest by a senior US official seeking to keep alive the brittle truce between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas after two years of devastating war that has upended the Middle East.
Photo: AFP
Repeated bouts of gunfire and explosions have shaken the deal and the two sides have traded blame for violations of its first phase, which has seen the return of Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, a handover of bodies of some deceased hostages and a partial pullout of Israeli troops.
Witnesses reported almost constant heavy gunfire and tank shelling overnight in eastern areas of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip and also east of Gaza City in the north of the Palestinian enclave.
“Gunfire and explosions almost didn’t stop until the morning, my three children woke up and asked me if the war had come back,” said Mohammad Abu Mansour, 40, a farmer living in central Gaza Strip.
“When is this all going to end and we regain our normal lives without fears?” he said in a chat message.
Rubio was visiting Israel to support the implementation of Trump’s 20-point plan to end Gaza’s war and pave the way toward reconstruction, stable governance and possible steps toward Palestinian statehood, the US Department of State said.
A bill applying Israeli law to the occupied West Bank, a move tantamount to annexation of land that Palestinians want for an independent state, won preliminary approval from Israel’s parliament on Wednesday.
About 700,000 Jewish settlers live in settlements across the West Bank. The UN and much of the international community consider the settlements illegal under international law.
The vote was the first of four needed to pass the law and coincided with US President J.D. Vance’s visit to Israel, a month after Trump said that he would not allow Israel to annex the territory it took in the 1967 Middle East war.
Meanwhile, the International Court of Justice on Wednesday said in an advisory opinion that Israel is obligated to ensure that the basic needs of the civilian population in Gaza are met.
The panel of 11 judges added that Israel has to support relief efforts provided by the UN in the Gaza Strip.
“As an occupying power, Israel is obliged to ensure the basic needs of the local population, including the supplies essential for their survival,” presiding Judge Yuji Iwasawa said.
He added that basic needs include food, water, shelter, fuel and medical services.
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