Netanyahu pushes West Bank sovereignty plan despite Trump’s rejection

A senior Israeli political source revealed on Saturday evening that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu intends to raise the issue of Israeli sovereignty over the West Bank during his upcoming meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump, despite the latter’s opposition to the move.

On Friday, Trump said, “I will not allow Israel to annex the West Bank,” reflecting a clear rejection of any unilateral action by Jerusalem.

Settler pressure

In this context, a delegation of settler leaders arrived in the United States on an “emergency mission” to press for advancing the sovereignty issue ahead of the Netanyahu–Trump meeting scheduled for Monday at the White House.

War plan and next phase

According to the source, Netanyahu presented a formula to end the war based on the principle “the captives at home — Hamas out of the Gaza Strip,” without providing clear details. Discussions also touched on Syria, in line with a Reuters report about security arrangements that would include a buffer zone in southern Syria and special protection for the Druze.

During his meeting with the delegation at his hotel ahead of Saturday, Netanyahu said: “There is work remaining, but we are close to the end, whether to free our captives or to defeat our enemies.” He added: “Peace is built with our neighbors and we have the military capability, and that is what we are doing now and will continue next week in Washington and then in Israel.”

Trump’s stance

Despite Netanyahu’s insistence on discussing sovereignty, Trump wrote on his Truth Social account that “the past four days have seen intensive discussions, Netanyahu is following up, and Hamas and all countries in the region are involved, and there is unprecedented enthusiasm to achieve peace.”

Netanyahu is scheduled to meet on Sunday with leaders of the American Jewish community and to participate in an event by the Jewish News Agency (JNS) alongside conservative commentator close to Trump and Netanyahu, Mark Levin.