As President-elect Donald Trump fills his cabinet with vocal supporters of Israeli control over the West Bank, tensions within the new administration’s policy agenda are emerging. Trump says he wants peace in the Middle East, but the potential annexation of the West Bank would prolong conflict in the region.
During his first term, Trump proudly brokered the Abraham Accords, a series of agreements that resulted in the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain recognizing Israel’s statehood and normalizing relations between the two Arab states and Israel. Sudan and Morocco later joined the Abraham Accords and began the process of normalizing diplomatic relations with Israel. While Trump made progress in promoting normalization with Israel, the administration’s decision to divert from U.S. policy and recognize the Golan Heights as Israeli territory was met with international condemnation.
After his electoral win, President-elect Donald Trump reportedly urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to “wrap up” the war in Gaza before his inauguration in January. Still, this request is at odds with the goals of some of Trump’s cabinet picks and the ambitions of key Israeli decisionmakers.
Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL), Trump’s pick for Secretary of State, has advocated for the “complete eradication of Hamas in Gaza” and downplayed the civilian casualties and collateral damage by the Israeli Defense Forces, calling the war a “tragically necessary effort” that comes at a “horrifying price.”
The president-elect recently selected former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee to be the Ambassador to Israel, though Huckabee has yet to be confirmed by the Senate. Huckabee, who has claimed the Palestinian identity is a “political tool to try to force land away from Israel,” is also a staunch supporter of expanding Israeli settlements.
The right-wing Finance Minister of Israel, Bezalel Smotrich, reacted to Trump’s election win by making preparations for the annexation of the West Bank, saying, “I have no doubt that President Trump, who showed courage and determination in his decisions during his first term, will support the State of Israel in this move.” Smotrich oversees decisions regarding Israeli settlements.
The United Nations designates the West Bank as occupied territory. Yet, Israel maintains its historical claim of the land and refers to it in biblical terms as “Judea and Samaria.” While the Israeli claim to the land is rooted in both religious and cultural history, members of Netanyahu’s government also see the West Bank as a threat to Israeli security. According to Smotrich, asserting Israel’s sovereignty over the West Bank is the “only way” to protect Israel from the “threat” of a Palestinian state.
Taking these factors into account, the possibility of Israel annexing the West Bank is growing. However, if Israel does annex the West Bank, the decision could endanger Trump’s beloved Abraham Accords, contribute to regional instability, and put American troops at risk.
After the Abraham Accords were signed, the UAE Ambassador to the United States, Yousef al-Otaiba, said, “The truth is that the Abraham Accords were about preventing annexation,” and suggested that annexation would have a negative impact on normalization efforts throughout the region. If Israel moves ahead with plans to annex the West Bank, the decision could degrade Trump’s accomplishment in brokering diplomacy in the region.
Secondly, annexation of the West Bank would further destabilize the region. Presently, current estimates indicate the conflict has killed over 43,800 Palestinians in Gaza and 3,500 people in Lebanon and is marked by human rights violations. Since the beginning of Israel’s war against Hamas, Israel has carried out attacks in occupied Palestinian territories, Syria, Yemen, Iran, and Lebanon. Annexation of the West Bank would inflame tensions in the Middle East, creating the possibility of heightened security challenges in neighboring countries.
Finally, a crew of U.S. troops is currently deployed in Israel, operating the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery. THAAD is a mobile surface-to-air system that requires a highly trained crew to operate, and U.S. troops are operating the system because training the IDF is too time-intensive. If Israel were to provoke additional attacks by annexing the West Bank, U.S. troops in Israel would be at risk.
Even though Trump has selected a cabinet full of people who appear to support Israel unconditionally, it is in Trump’s best interest to dissuade Netanyahu from annexing the West Bank. Normalization, stability, and the safety of U.S. troops depend on it.
Bree Megivern is a Contributing Fellow at Defense Priorities.
Image: Anna Moneymaker / Shutterstock.com.
