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Vance:Israel Vote on West Bank 'Insult'10/24 06:11
JERUSALEM (AP) -- U.S. Vice President JD Vance on Thursday criticized a
symbolic vote in Israel's parliament the previous day about annexing the
occupied West Bank, saying that it amounted to an "insult" and went against the
Trump administration policies.
Hard-liners in the Israeli parliament had narrowly passed a preliminary vote
in support of annexing parts of the West Bank -- an apparent attempt to
embarrass Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu while Vance was still in the
country.
The bill, which required only a simple majority of lawmakers present in the
house on Wednesday, passed with a 25-24 vote. But it was unlikely to pass
multiple rounds of voting to become law or win a majority in the 120-seat
parliament. Netanyahu, who is opposed to it, also has tools to delay or defeat
it.
Before departing Israel, Vance also unveiled new details about U.S. plans
for Gaza, saying he expected reconstruction to begin soon in some "Hamas-free"
areas of the territory. But he warned that rebuilding the territory after a
devastating war, which began on Oct. 7, 2023, could take years.
"The hope is to rebuild Rafah over the next two to three years and
theoretically you could have half a million people live (there)," he said,
referring to the Gaza Strip's southernmost city.
That would account for about a quarter of the territory's population of
roughly 2 million, 90% of whom were displaced from their homes during the war.
Out of every 10 buildings that stood in Gaza before the war, eight are either
damaged or flattened. An estimated cost of rebuilding Gaza is about $53
billion, according to the World Bank, the U.N. and the European Union.
Vance's rebuke
The Israeli parliament's vote has stirred widespread condemnation, with more
than a dozen countries -- including Egypt, Qatar and Saudi Arabia -- rebuking
it in a joint statement that called all Israeli settlements in the West Bank a
violation of international law.
Netanyahu's office said in a statement that the "vote on annexation was a
deliberate political provocation by the opposition to sow discord."
Netanyahu is struggling to stave off an early election as cracks grow more
apparent between factions in Israel's right-wing parties, some of whom were
upset over the ceasefire and the security sacrifices it required of Israel.
Vance said that if the Knesset's vote was a "political stunt, then it is a
very stupid political stunt."
"I personally take some insult to it," Vance said. "The policy of the Trump
administration is that the West Bank will not be annexed by Israel."
The deputy Palestinian ambassador to the United Nations, Majed Bamya, told
the U.N. Security Council on Thursday that Palestinians "appreciate the clear
message" that the Trump administration has sent in opposition to annexation.
While many members of Netanyahu's coalition, including his Likud Party,
support annexation, they have backed off those calls since U.S. President
Donald Trump said last month that he opposes such a move.
The Palestinians seek the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, captured by Israel
in the 1967 Mideast war, for a future independent state. Israeli annexation of
the West Bank would all but bury hopes for a two-state solution between Israel
and the Palestinians -- the outcome supported by most of the world.
Analysts like Amichai Cohen, a senior fellow at the Israel Democracy
Institute, say that a "de facto annexation of very large parts" of the West
Bank is already underway, referring to the growing number of Israelis living in
settlements in the Palestinian territory -- even without any law supporting
annexation.
U.S. peace push
Earlier this week, Vance announced the opening of a civilian military
coordination center in southern Israel where around 200 U.S. troops are working
alongside the Israeli military and delegations from other countries planning
the stabilization and reconstruction of Gaza.
The United States is seeking support from other allies, especially Gulf Arab
nations, to create an international stabilization force to be deployed to Gaza
and train a Palestinian force.
"We'd like to see Palestinian police forces in Gaza that are not Hamas and
that are going to do a good job, but those still have to be trained and
equipped," U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said before his trip to Israel.
Rubio met with Netanyahu on Thursday and, like other U.S. officials and
envoys visiting Israel this week, struck a tone of optimism about progress that
has been made since the ceasefire began, while noting the challenges that lie
ahead.
"No one is under any illusions. We've already done the impossible once and
we intend to keep doing that," he said.
Israeli media referred to the parade of American officials visiting to
ensure Israel holds up its side of the fragile ceasefire as "Bibi-sitting." The
term, utilizing Netanyahu's nickname of Bibi, refers to an old campaign ad when
Netanyahu positioned himself as the "Bibi-sitter" whom voters could trust with
their kids.
Medical needs
In the first medical evacuation since the ceasefire began on Oct. 10, the
World Health Organization's director-general said Thursday that the group has
evacuated 41 critical patients and 145 companions out of the Gaza Strip.
In a statement posted to X, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called on nations to
show solidarity and help around 15,000 patients who are still waiting for
approval to receive medical care outside Gaza.
His calls were echoed by an official with the U.N. Population Fund who on
Wednesday described the "sheer devastation" that he witnessed on his most
recent travel to Gaza, saying that there's no such thing as a "normal birth in
Gaza now."
Andrew Saberton, an executive director at UNFPA, told reporters how
difficult the agency's work has become because of the lack of functioning or
even standing health care facilities.
Another major challenge since the ceasefire began has been getting enough
aid into Gaza -- and distributed -- to meet the huge demand.
"We expected Gaza to be flooded with aid the moment the ceasefire began. But
that's not what we're seeing," said Bushra Khalidi, who oversees the
Palestinian territories division at Oxfam, a nonprofit focused on global
poverty.
More crossings into Gaza need to be opened in order to allow in more trucks,
said Antoine Renard, head of the World Food Program in the Palestinian
territories.
"With only two crossings that are open, you are facing clearly congestion,"
he said.
The WFP has 36 distribution centers operating in Gaza, and aims to increase
that to 145. Since Oct. 11, the U.N. tracking system has recorded 949 aid
trucks that were offloaded in Gaza.
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