Trump: 'Israel won't do anything in the West Bank' Gaza, Palestinian factions OK technocrat committee Pope's appeal: Churches work for reconciliation

In an interview with Time Magazine published on Thursday morning, Trump said that the annexation of the West Bank 'will not happen because I gave my word to the Arab countries... Israel would lose all the support of the United States if that happened'.

The bill, which has to pass committee and three other debates for ratification, was presented by a far-right MP from outside Netanyahu's conservative coalition. It would annex Israeli settlements in the West Bank. Among the votes in favour were several coalition MPs. But most of Likud, the prime minister's party, abstained.

Likud dismissed the new law as 'trolling by the opposition, whose goal is to damage our relations with the US'. A coalition official who preferred to remain anonymous because the discussions are not public said that Likud will use its influence in the committee to prevent the bill's passage.

During his first term in office, Trump recognised Jerusalem as Israel's capital, angering the Palestinians and their supporters in the Arab and Muslim world. His current administration has been ambiguous about the position to be taken on the Palestinian state, although he has criticised Israel's European and other allies for unilaterally recognising Palestine last month.

Officially, Trump has maintained the long-standing US policy of accepting the State of Palestine only after reaching an agreement between Palestinians and Israelis.

The Israelis, however, veered towards an extreme right-wing position after the 7 October 2023 attack by the Palestinian Islamist faction Hamas, which triggered war in Gaza and on several other regional fronts. In July 2024, the Knesset passed a resolution expressing formal opposition to the creation of a Palestinian state. A year later, it passed a non-binding resolution calling for the annexation of settlements. Likud supported both proposals.

Vance left Israel shortly before US Secretary of State Marco Rubio's arrival in Israel. In parallel, White House envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner shuttled between Israel, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates this week to gather support for a multinational force that would disarm Hamas and stabilise the Gaza Strip, Vance said.

A Palestinian child died this morning from wounds sustained during an operation by Israeli forces in the Askar camp in Nablus, in the occupied West Bank, Al Jazeera reports, citing its correspondents on the spot.

According to the same source, Israeli forces also raided the city of Aqaba, north of Tubas, also in the West Bank, and made several arrests in the cities of Hebron and Tal.

"The Security Council is a powerful force for good. But its legitimacy is fragile. Too often some of its members have acted outside the principles of the UN Charter. When this happens, not only does it block immediate action, but it undermines confidence in the entire UN system," said Secretary-General Antonio Guterres speaking today by video link from Hanoi at a meeting of the 'Fifteen' to mark 80 years since the UN Charter came into force

Palestinian factions meeting in Cairo, including Hamas, agreed in a joint note to temporarily entrust the management of Gaza to an independent committee of technocrats, in the aftermath of the agreement sought by Donald Trump. According to the document, the various Palestinian groups agreed to set up a 'temporary Palestinian committee composed of resident independent technocrats, responsible for the management of basic services'. The groups agreed on a national strategy aimed at 'revitalising the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) as the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people'.

"Without excluding any other region of the world, but if there is a country that needs hope at this time, it is the Middle East and we would all like to be this sign of this hope," the Pope emphasised, speaking in English with the synod teams. "As Churches," he noted, "we must be united to be worthy of hope and a true expression of brotherly love, of care for one another, especially towards those who have lost everything through wars and the existence of hatred among us. Speaking of the challenges in the Middle East, Leo recalled that "there are significant differences between the Eastern Churches and we must respect them; if we do not respect one another we will not be able to know one another. We must learn that by working for reconciliation we can rebuild unity among all people.