JD Vance slams Israel’s vote on West Bank annexation as ‘insult’ : NPR

JERUSALEM – US Vice President J.D. Vance criticized Israel's parliamentary vote on Thursday to annex the West Bank, saying it amounted to an “insult.” Vance's sharp remark came after his visit ended on Thursday and after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he would now travel to Israel.

Vance's words and intense diplomacy indicate that the administration of US President Donald Trump intended to maintain the momentum of the US-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Speaking on the tarmac at Tel Aviv International Airport before taking off from Israel, Vance said that if the Knesset vote was “a political stunt, then it is a very stupid political stunt.”

“Personally, I take it as an insult,” Vance said. “It is the policy of the Trump administration that the West Bank will not be annexed by Israel.”

Intense US quest for peace

Earlier this week, Vance announced the opening of a civilian military coordination center in southern Israel, where about 200 U.S. troops are working alongside Israeli military personnel and foreign delegations planning the stabilization and reconstruction of Gaza.

Rubio told reporters at Joint Base Andrews late Wednesday that he plans to visit the center and appoint a foreign service official to work alongside the top U.S. military commander in the Middle East, Vice Adm. Brad Cooper.

The US is seeking support from other allies, especially Gulf Arab states, to create an international stabilization force that would deploy to the Gaza Strip and train Palestinian forces.

“We would like to see a Palestinian police force in Gaza that is not Hamas and will do a good job, but they still need to be trained and equipped,” he said.

Rubio also criticized the efforts of far-right politicians in the Israeli parliament, who on Wednesday took the symbolic step of giving preliminary approval to a bill that would give Israel the authority to annex the occupied West Bank, a move the United States opposes.

Trump “has made it clear that this is not something we would support right now, and we think it potentially threatens the peace agreement,” he said.

The bill passed by a vote of 25 to 24. It is unclear whether the bill will gain support to gain a majority in the 120-seat parliament, and Netanyahu has tools to delay or reject it.

Vance visits the Holy Sepulcher

Meanwhile, Vance visited the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the sprawling 12th-century basilica where Christians believe Jesus was crucified, died and rose again, in Jerusalem's Old City.

He is then expected to meet with Israel's defense minister, Israeli military commanders and other officials at army headquarters in Tel Aviv.

On Wednesday, Vance sought to allay concerns that the Trump administration is dictating terms to its closest ally in the Middle East.

“We don't want Israel to be a vassal state, and that's not what Israel is. We want a partnership, we want an ally,” Vance said, speaking next to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in response to a reporter’s question about whether Israel was becoming a “protectorate” of the United States.

Netanyahu, who will also meet with Rubio, expressed similar sentiments while acknowledging differences of opinion as the proposed U.S. ceasefire moves forward.

Israeli media have dubbed the continuous parade of American officials visiting to ensure Israel is holding up its end of the fragile ceasefire as the “Bibi Sitting.” The term, which uses Netanyahu's nickname “Bibi”, refers to an old advertising campaign in which Netanyahu positioned himself as “Nanny Bibi” whom voters could trust with their children.

Palestinians in Gaza are in dire need of medical assistance

In the first medical evacuation since the ceasefire began on October 10, the head of the World Health Organization said on Thursday that they had evacuated 41 critically ill patients and 145 accompanying patients from the Gaza Strip.

In a statement published on X, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called on countries to show solidarity and help the estimated 15,000 patients still waiting for approval to receive medical care outside Gaza.

His calls were echoed by a UN Population Fund official who on Wednesday described the “utter devastation” he witnessed on his latest trip to Gaza, saying there was no such thing as a “normal birth” in the Gaza Strip right now.

Andrew Saberton, executive director of UNFPA, told reporters how difficult the agency's work had become due to the lack of functioning or even permanent health facilities.

“I was not completely prepared for what I saw. This cannot be. The scale of the destruction was reminiscent of the scenery of a dystopian film. Unfortunately, this is not fiction,” he said.

Saberton added that Palestinian women cannot access the hospital. “They often don’t even have access to personal space in a tent. We have stories of women giving birth right in the ruins, next to the road,” he said.

Court hearing on access of journalists to the Gaza Strip

Separately on Thursday, Israel's Supreme Court held a hearing on whether the Gaza Strip should be opened to international media and gave the state 30 days to present a new position in light of the new ceasefire situation.

Israel has blocked journalists from entering Gaza since the war began on October 7, 2023.

The Foreign Press Association, which represents dozens of international news organizations including the Associated Press, asked the court to force the government to open the border.

In a statement following Thursday's decision, the FPA expressed its “disappointment” and called the Israeli government's stance on denying access to journalists “unacceptable.”

The court rejected the FPA's request early in the war due to government objections on security grounds. The group submitted a second access request in September 2024. The government has repeatedly postponed the case.

Palestinian journalists covered the two-year war for international media. But like all Palestinians, they were subject to severe restrictions on movement and food shortages, and were repeatedly displaced and operated in conditions of great danger. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, about 200 Palestinian journalists have been killed by Israeli fire.

“It’s time for Israel to lift the blockade and allow us to do our work alongside our Palestinian colleagues,” said Tanya Kremer, chairwoman of the FPA.