Trump Asked Netanyahu to Change Israel's Policies in the Occupied West Bank

The Axios website reported today, Tuesday, that US President Donald Trump and his senior advisors asked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during their meeting to change Israel's policies in the occupied West Bank.

This comes at a time when international pressure on Israel is increasing to curb settler attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank.

Trump had confirmed yesterday, Monday, that he had not reached "complete consensus" with Netanyahu regarding the occupied West Bank, during the joint press conference between them following their meeting.

In his speech at the press conference, Trump said: "I discussed the issue of the West Bank with Netanyahu, but we did not agree 100%."

In response to a question whether the Palestinian Authority would be part of Gaza in the "day after," Netanyahu replied: "We will see if they carry out reforms. It depends on them."

He continued: "I believe that President Trump has clarified the required reform conditions for the Palestinian Authority to participate in Gaza reconstruction plans," as he put it.

Contrary to these statements, Netanyahu had previously emphasized on more than one occasion his rejection of the Palestinian Authority taking any role in the Gaza Strip after the war.

Netanyahu praised the US President, saying: "We have never had a close friend like you."

He added: "I think he (Trump) is exceptional in his friendship and in his support for Israel. The President has broken many norms, and therefore we also decided to award him the Israel Prize (Israel's highest award)."

Regarding Syria, the Israeli Prime Minister said that interest requires there to be "peace borders" with Syria.

Netanyahu continued: "We want to ensure that these borders are safe, without terrorists and protecting our Druze friends and minorities in Syria," as he put it.

President Trump responded: "This will work between Israel and Syria."

Israel has occupied the Golan since 1967, then expanded after the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime into the buffer zone and Mount Hermon in southern Syria, and announced the collapse of the disengagement agreement concluded between the two sides since 1967.

In recent months, Syrian-Israeli talks were held to reach a security agreement that curbs Tel Aviv's assaults on Damascus, but the agreement did not materialize due to Israel's insistence on not withdrawing from the areas it occupied after the fall of Assad on December 8, 2024.

Despite US President Donald Trump's call for Israel to calm down with Syria, Tel Aviv continued its violations against Damascus's sovereignty through bombings and incursions that have become almost daily in recent times.

Earlier in the evening of Monday, Trump hosted the Israeli Prime Minister at the Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, shortly after Netanyahu's meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio along with Trump's advisors Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff.

Netanyahu also met shortly before his meeting with Trump with US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.