Donald Trump has stated he will not allow Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to annex the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
The US president told White House reporters ahead of Netanyahu's address to the UN General Assembly on Friday: I will not allow Israel to annex the West Bank... It's not going to happen.
Trump, who will meet Netanyahu on Monday, also said a ceasefire deal over the war in Gaza was pretty close.
Israel is facing increasing global pressure to end the conflict and occupation of the West Bank, as a wave of Western states formally recognize an independent Palestinian state. Far-right Israelis view annexation as a means of preventing a Palestinian state from being created.
Ultranationalists in Netanyahu's governing coalition have repeated calls for Israel to annex the West Bank - part of the Palestinian territories - outright.
The UK and Germany say they have warned Israel against annexation, while UN Secretary-General António Guterres stated such a move would be morally, legally and politically intolerable.
Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Thursday that he had spoken to Netanyahu in addition to other Middle Eastern leaders.
We're getting pretty close to having a deal on Gaza, and maybe even peace, Trump said.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas addressed the UN General Assembly via video link, expressing his willingness to collaborate with world leaders to implement a peace plan for Israel and the Palestinians proposed by France on Monday.
Abbas thanked countries which have recognized a Palestinian state recently, following declarations from Canada, Australia, the UK, and Portugal on Sunday.
The US, however, remains opposed to recognizing Palestine, asserting that such a move would reward Hamas.
In light of the ongoing warfare, Israel closed the only crossing between the Israeli-occupied West Bank and neighboring Jordan, preventing more than two million Palestinians from accessing the outside world.
In Gaza, more than 80 Palestinians, including women and children, were reportedly killed by Israeli fire, amidst heightened military actions in response to a Hamas-led attack resulting in significant casualties.
As the international community intensifies its demands for Israel to end the military action and occupation, further discussions regarding sanctions on extremist politicians in Israel could emerge, reflecting a critical moment in Israeli-Palestinian relations.
