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White House Talks Postpone Israel’s West Bank Annexation Decision

FILE PHOTO: US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu talk outside the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, US, January 27, 2020. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu talk outside the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, US, January 27, 2020. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo
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White House Talks Postpone Israel’s West Bank Annexation Decision

FILE PHOTO: US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu talk outside the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, US, January 27, 2020. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu talk outside the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, US, January 27, 2020. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo

Following three days of discussions at the White House, officials said Thursday that the US administration has not yet reached a final decision on the Israeli plan to annex settlements in the occupied West Bank.

Senior aides to President Donald Trump noted that the meetings ended without any final US green light for Israel's annexation move.

The White House meetings were attended by US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Special Adviser to the President Jared Kushner, as well as US Representative for International Negotiations Avi Berkowitz.

Sources in Washington said discussions revolved around defining the scope of Israeli moves and the type of sovereignty under which Israel would implement the annexation through US support.

In exclusive remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, a senior White House official described as “fruitful” the meetings hosted by the White House this week on the Trump peace plan.

He said that Friedman and Berkowitz were expected to return to Israel on Thursday evening to conduct further talks on the planned move.

“There is still no final decision on the matter,” he added.

Pompeo had confirmed the Trump administration’s support for the Israeli plan to annex parts of the West Bank, despite warnings from the United Nations, the European Union, the Arab League, and Democrats at the US Congress, from the dire consequences of the unilateral step that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu intends to take by July.

Well-informed sources stressed that Washington wanted the Israeli government to reach a consensus before proceeding with any measures, especially with the reluctance expressed by Alternate Prime Minister and Defense Minister Benny Gantz over the annexation.

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Arab World

Lebanon’s War Losses Double Compared to 2006

Rescuers and aid workers search for survivors at the site of an Israeli airstrike in eastern Lebanon (AFP)
Rescuers and aid workers search for survivors at the site of an Israeli airstrike in eastern Lebanon (AFP)
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Lebanon’s War Losses Double Compared to 2006

Rescuers and aid workers search for survivors at the site of an Israeli airstrike in eastern Lebanon (AFP)
Rescuers and aid workers search for survivors at the site of an Israeli airstrike in eastern Lebanon (AFP)

A comparison of the current human and material losses from the ongoing Hezbollah-Israel conflict with those from the July 2006 war shows that current losses have doubled.

Experts warn that the reconstruction funds and aid pledged to Lebanon 18 years ago may have limited impact once the war ends.

Total Losses

Mohammad Shamseddine, a researcher from Information International, told Asharq Al-Awsat that the death toll has risen from 900 in 2006 to 2,865 in the current conflict (as of October 31, 2024), with the number increasing daily. The number of wounded was 4,000 in 2006, but it has now exceeded 13,047.

In 2006, 600,000 people were displaced, while today that number has surpassed 1.2 million. Of these, 189,174 are in shelters. A total of 358,133 Syrians and 172,604 Lebanese have fled to Syria, and 120,000 have sought refuge in other countries.

Lebanese Economy and Trade Minister Amin Salam estimated that Lebanon’s total economic losses from the current conflict have reached $20 billion. However, economic associations report direct losses between $10 billion and $12 billion, covering damage to key sectors, homes, buildings, and infrastructure.

These figures align with estimates from Shamseddine, who believes direct and indirect losses are around $10 billion.

Of this, $4 billion occurred from October 8, 2023, to September 17, 2024 (when the conflict was mostly limited to the south), and $7 billion from September 17 to October 31, 2024, after Israel expanded the war. For comparison, losses during the 2006 war totaled $5.3 billion.

In 2006, infrastructure damage was valued at $900 million, higher than the current war's $570 million in infrastructure losses.

Housing losses in 2006 totaled $2.2 billion, while they have now surpassed $4.26 billion. Mohammad Shamseddine points out that commercial losses were similar in both conflicts, at $4.7 million.

Agricultural and environmental losses in 2006 were $450 million, but now exceed $900 million. Indirect economic damages were $1.2 billion in 2006, while they have now surpassed $3.38 billion.

One notable difference is the number of airstrikes: from October 8, 2023, to October 31, 2024, there were 11,647, compared to just 3,670 during the 33-day 2006 war.