This came in an interview published by Time magazine on Thursday, in which Trump explained that he "will make a decision" regarding the release of Barghouti, whom Palestinian factions consider "a national symbol capable of uniting Palestinians behind a two-state solution." He noted that the matter is now before him for consideration.
Barghouti, who was arrested by Israel in 2002, is a prominent Palestinian leader who enjoys widespread popularity within the Palestinian territories. Resistance factions are demanding his release as part of a prisoner exchange deal linked to the ceasefire agreement in Gaza, a demand Tel Aviv rejects.
Speaking about the occupied West Bank, Trump emphasized that "Israel's annexation of the West Bank will not happen, because I promised the Arab states that it would," adding, "If Israel takes this step, it will lose the full support of the United States."
Trump's statement comes a day after the Israeli Knesset voted in its preliminary reading on a bill to annex the West Bank, a move that sparked Arab and international condemnation and was considered a "de facto end" to the possibility of implementing the two-state solution enshrined in UN resolutions.
"The world against Netanyahu"
Regarding the Israeli war of extermination in Gaza, Trump said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "was forced to accept a ceasefire" after two years of war, adding, "If he hadn't stopped it, the world would have stopped him, because Israel was losing so much popularity."
He explained that he told Netanyahu: "You cannot fight the world. You can fight individual battles, but the world is against you, and Israel is a very small country compared to the world."
Trump revealed that he plans to visit the Gaza Strip soon, noting the formation of a "Middle East Peace Council" as part of the US plan. He said, "They asked me to be the chairman of the council. I didn't want that, but it will be a very powerful group with broad influence in the region."
He added that Hamas had signed this agreement, threatening that its subsequent opposition to it would give the United States a pretext to act against it.
The second phase of Trump's plan includes the deployment of an international peacekeeping force, the withdrawal of the Israeli occupation army, the disarmament of Hamas, and the establishment of a temporary administrative body affiliated with the new international transitional body in Gaza called the "Peace Council," headed by Trump.
On October 10 , a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement between Israel and Hamas took effect, in accordance with the Trump plan, whose country supported Israel's war of extermination in Gaza.
Since October 8, 2023, this genocide has left 68,280 Palestinian martyrs and 170,375 injured, most of them children and women, and has destroyed 90% of civilian infrastructure.
