US President Donald Trump has said he will not allow Benjamin Netanyahu to annex the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
Speaking ahead of the Israeli prime minister's address to the UN General Assembly on Friday, the US president told reporters in the Oval Office: 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 Gaza deal was pretty close.
Israel is facing increasing global pressure to end the war in Gaza and occupation of the West Bank as a wave of Western states formally recognise an independent Palestinian state. Far-right Israelis see annexation as a way to stop this prospect.
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 said at the UN on Monday it would be morally, legally and politically intolerable.
On Thursday, Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that he had spoken to Netanyahu as well as other Middle Eastern leaders.
We're getting pretty close to having a deal on Gaza, and maybe even peace, Trump said.
Addressing the UN General Assembly via video link on Thursday, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said he was ready to work with world leaders to achieve a peace plan for Israel and the Palestinians announced by France.
Abbas, barred by the US from travelling to New York, thanked those countries which had recently recognised a Palestinian state in a wave of declarations, including Canada, Australia, the UK, and Portugal.
The US is currently opposed to recognising Palestine, arguing that such a move rewards Hamas.
Trump met on Tuesday at the United Nations with leaders of key Arab and Muslim nations who warned him of consequences if Israel moves ahead with annexation.
On Wednesday morning, Israel closed the only crossing between the Israeli-occupied West Bank and Jordan, blocking access for over two million Palestinians.
The closure followed the deaths of two Israeli military personnel near the crossing.
In Gaza, over 80 Palestinians were reported killed by Israeli fire on Wednesday, most in Gaza City.
This ongoing conflict, following the 7 October 2023 Hamas-led attack, has resulted in substantial casualties and is prompting increased international scrutiny on Israeli military actions.
Pressure is mounting on Israel to end hostilities, with new sanctions and restrictions proposed by the European Commission as part of a more robust response to the conflict.
