Trump Upstages Netanyahu UN Address, Says He 'Will Not Allow' Israel to Annex Judea, Samaria

JERUSALEM, Israel – While war continues in the Middle East, in New York and Washington, there is talk of peace, as well as a Palestinian state, and little support for Israel to claim its biblical heartland in Judea and Samaria.

Meanwhile, Israel is seeking to remind the world about how the current conflict began on October 7th, 2023.

President Donald Trump indicated that he had good talks with top Middle East leaders, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, about the war in Gaza.

Trump stated, "And we're trying to get to the end of the Gaza situation. It's really bad, very bad. And we think it could happen. Maybe it could happen pretty soon. We want the hostages back. We want their bodies back. And we want to have peace in that region."

But he also said there is one thing that isn't on the table: Israel's annexation of biblical Judea and Samaria, also known as the West Bank.

"I will, I will not allow Israel to annex the West Bank. Nope, I will not allow it. It's not going to happen," Trump declared on Thursday.

Netanyahu's government has been talking about annexing Judea and Samaria in response to multiple nations recognizing a Palestinian state. More than 700,000 Israelis live in Jewish communities there, as well as 3.3 million Palestinians who live in their own cities and villages.

Trump has said the U.K., France, and other countries are giving a prize to Hamas and terrorists by recognizing a Palestinian state.

Netanyahu said before Trump's remarks that he would explain Israel's position after he meets with Trump at the White House on Monday. It's his fourth invitation there since Trump took office last January, more than any other world leader.

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Netanyahu arrived in New York on Thursday, ahead of his U.N. speech.

His office launched a campaign called "Remember October 7" in New York on dozens of huge billboards and trucks around the United Nations and Times Square.

The goal is to remind world leaders and the public about "the atrocities perpetrated by Hamas" that day and the "brutality of the terrorist organization" that is still holding 48 hostages in Gaza.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas addressed the U.N. General Assembly via video on Thursday, after Trump denied him a visa.

Nevertheless, he said, they are ready to work with Trump, Saudi Arabia, France, and the U.N. to implement peace plans approved earlier this week.

“Today we say clearly: peace cannot be achieved if justice is not achieved, and there can be no justice if Palestine is not freed," Abbas declared.

Many Palestinians believe a "free Palestine" includes getting rid of all of Israel.

Despite all the talk of peace in New York, war is the reality on the ground in the Middle East.

On Thursday, dozens of Israeli Air Force aircraft struck military targets in Yemen following a Houthi drone attack on Eilat this week that injured more than 40 people. 

Israel Defense Forces Spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin said, "We struck the command headquarters of the Houthis’ General Staff, compounds, and additional military camps belonging to the security and intelligence apparatus. We will continue to act with force against the terrorist Houthi rule.”

Israel's air defenses had failed to intercept the Houthi drone, which crashed in Eilat..

Defrin noted, "Since the beginning of the war, we have intercepted more than 98% of the unmanned aerial vehicles launched from Yemen toward our territory. We continue to maintain a high level of alert. I want to emphasize: the city of Eilat is safe, and its routine is maintained, but as we know, the defense is not hermetic.” 

Defrin explained that in Gaza, the Air Force is striking about 200 terror targets per day, while continuing the humanitarian and civilian effort to evacuate Gazans for their protection.