Netanyahu Orders Freeze on West Bank "Sovereignty" Bills Following Strong US Warnings

Israeli media reports revealed on Thursday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has directed that the "sovereignty" bills over the West Bank should not proceed.

Channel 12 reported: "It was announced in the ruling coalition that the sovereignty laws in the West Bank will be suspended until further notice." Coalition Chairman Ofir Katz confirmed to Israeli Army Radio that Netanyahu had instructed him "not to move forward in promoting further bills related to sovereignty in the West Bank."

Explicit US Warning of "Losing Support"

This directive follows the Knesset's vote on Wednesday in favor of a preliminary discussion of two bills paving the way for the expansion of Israeli sovereignty in the West Bank. These developments coincided with US President Donald Trump's efforts to broker a fragile ceasefire aimed at ending two years of war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

• US Vice President: J.D. Vance, the US Vice President, confirmed on Thursday that Israel will not annex the West Bank, warning that such a step could undermine the US-brokered fragile Gaza ceasefire.

• US President: Trump revealed in a phone interview with Time magazine that Israel would lose all US support if it annexed the West Bank.

Government Suspension and Justifications

Earlier on Thursday, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar highlighted that the Knesset vote on annexing the West Bank was only a "preliminary reading and will not proceed without the support of the Israeli government." Sa'ar added that the government had not decided to advance the vote at this stage because there is "a great effort to ensure the success of Trump's plan" for peace.