Donald Trump and senior Republicans to Israel: Annexation is not on the agenda

President-elect Donald Trump has said in closed conversations that any attempt at annexing part or all of Judea and Samaria is "not on the agenda" and that the focus should be on Iran, according to a report by i24 News.

Senior Republicans speaking with i24 News also said that working towards annexation would be a serious mistake, as Israel's international situation is already very bad and such a move would only cause harm.

This statement appears to align with Prime Minister Netanyahu's own approach in working with Trump, where he has placed a heavy emphasis on dealing with the security threats to Israel - whether in Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, or Iran - and has said nothing at all about annexation or even military rule in Gaza.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has made multiple statements in favor of at least temporary annexation of the Gaza Strip as a means of pressuring Hamas and freeing the hostages, and settler leaders have called for depopulating refugee camps "like what they did in Gaza" but there's no sign that Netanyahu is in favor of this.