178 US Congress members sign letter opposing West Bank annexation

The entire Democratic House leadership, 178 members of the US Congress, signed a letter on Thursday warning the Israeli government against annexing Palestinian territory in the occupied West Bank or Gaza. 

In the letter, Congress members told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Israel Katz and Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar that Israeli annexation of any territory would “plunge the region” into “further chaos and violence.”

The leaders expressed strong opposition against "unilateral steps, including Israeli annexation of territory" in the West Bank or Gaza, saying that such a move would push Israelis and Palestinians further away from negotiations. 

“Annexation would undermine Israel’s progress on normalization, prevent international cooperation to rebuild Gaza after this devastating war, risk instability in Jordan and even further strain ties with key European partners,” the lawmakers wrote.