U.S. Vice President JD Vance on Thursday rebuked an Israeli parliamentary vote to annex parts of the occupied West Bank, calling it “an insult” to President Donald Trump’s Middle East peace policy and to ongoing efforts to secure a lasting ceasefire in Gaza.
Speaking at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport at the conclusion of his visit which included a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Vance saw the move as directly undermining Washington’s peace drive.
“I personally take some insult to it,” Vance told reporters before departing Israel.
“The policy of the Trump administration is that the West Bank will not be annexed by Israel.”
Vance’s visit underscored Washington’s push to sustain the Gaza ceasefire and advance Trump’s recently unveiled peace plan, signed last week in Cairo at a summit of world leaders.
The globally supported plan aims to end the two-year Gaza conflict between Israel and Hamas and lay the groundwork for long-term regional stability.
But the truce has already faced early setbacks, with renewed violence in Gaza—including internal Palestinian clashes and Israeli operations following the killing of two soldiers.
“If this was intended as a political stunt,” Vance said of the annexation vote, “then it’s a very stupid political stunt.”
❗️🇺🇲🤝🇮🇱 – U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance and Second Lady Usha Vance arrived at Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv this morning to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and senior officials, focusing on overseeing the Gaza Strip ceasefire implementation.… pic.twitter.com/0mUPez3hXL
— 🔥🗞The Informant (@theinformant_x) October 21, 2025
Israeli Lawmakers Advance West Bank Annexation Bills
The Knesset’s vote on Thursday marked the first of four required readings for the bill to become law. The measure, introduced by lawmakers outside Prime Minister Netanyahu’s ruling coalition, passed its initial vote with a single majority vote of 25–24, in the 120-member parliament.
A separate opposition bill to annex the Maale Adumim settlement passed 31–9. Several members of Netanyahu’s coalition—from National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir’s Jewish Power party and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s Religious Zionism faction—voted in favor. Both proposals face lengthy legislative procedures before taking effect.
Two years into Gaza war: Ongoing conflict and regional uncertainty
Netanyahu’s Likud party did not support the bill. However, some coalition members have long advocated for formal annexation of parts of the West Bank, citing Israel’s biblical and historical claims to the land.
Israel maintains that the territories captured in the 1967 war are “disputed” rather than occupied, a position rejected by most of the international community.
In 2024, the U.N.’s highest court ruled that Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories, including the West Bank and its settlements, is illegal and should end “as soon as possible.”
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Muhammad Luqman is Associate Editor at Views News Now. He writes on wide-ranging issues including economy, South Asia, the Middle East, agriculture, economy and innovation. Luqman has worked some of the leading news organizations and won acclaim for his original and research-based works.
