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Trump will not approve Israel's annexation of the West Bank, says Israeli ambassador to the US

Michael Herzog, who will leave office soon, said this is due to the president's interest in Israel and Saudi Arabia reaching an agreement on normalization of relations.

The Israeli city Maale Adumim, in the West Bank.Ahmad Gharabli / AFP

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Michael HerzogIsrael’s outgoing ambassador to the United States, said in an interview with Israeli media KAN that he estimates that the Israeli government will be able to normalize relations with Israel and that US President Donald Trump will not allow the Jewish state to annex parts of the West Bank.

The diplomat argued that this is due to the Trump administration's interest in Israel reaching an agreement on normalizing relations with Saudi Arabia.

"In my opinion, if an agreement is reached with Saudi Arabia, I don't think the Trump Administration will give the green light to the annexation of Judea and Samaria (West Bank). This is not in line with Saudi Arabia," Herzog stated.

The ambassador also recalled that before the October 7 massacre, Jerusalem and Riyadh were close to reaching an agreement, and remarked it was precisely this that was one of the motivations of Hamas to perpetrate the brutal attack in 2023, as it sought to thwart the treaty.

Herzog was, however, optimistic about the future of Israel-Saudi relations. "I think the door to this agreement is still open," he indicated.

The Hamas ceasefire agreement

Regarding the ceasefire agreement with Hamas, he maintained, "There are conditions to move to the second phase. We will begin negotiations on the 16th day of the first phase, and each side has its own expectations."

The ambassador added that there is an understanding between Washington and Jerusalem that if Hamas does not comply with the conditions of the agreement, Israel will be able to resume military pressure on the terrorist group.

"I think at this point it's too early to tell how things will unfold," he concluded.

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