US Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned that the Israeli parliament's decision to support bills to extend Israeli sovereignty in the West Bank could "threaten" the Gaza ceasefire, Agence France-Presse reported, BTA reported.
"I think the president (Donald Trump) has made sure that this is not something we can support right now", Rubio told the media as he left for Israel, where he is expected to arrive today. This "threatens" the ceasefire and would be "counterproductive", he added.
The Knesset (Israeli parliament) decided yesterday to consider two bills aimed at expanding Israeli sovereignty in the occupied West Bank, during the visit of US Vice President J.D. Vance to Israel.
US President Donald Trump, an ally of Israel in its war against the Islamist movement "Hamas", opposed any annexation of the West Bank by Israel, a project supported by the Israeli far right.
Israeli lawmakers voted on two bills in the first reading, with the vote aimed at allowing their consideration in the first reading. In August, Israel approved a key project to build 3,400 homes in the West Bank, which was condemned by the United Nations and foreign leaders, AFP recalls.
"This is democracy, they will vote", Rubio said. "But at the moment, this is something that we think could be counterproductive", he added.
In response to a question about the escalation of violence carried out by extremist Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank, Rubio stressed that the United States is "concerned about anything that threatens to destabilize the fruits of our efforts,", AFP notes.