Israel’s cabinet decided Feb. 15 to begin land registration in West Bank Area C, which includes part of the State of Palestine, prompting concerns over what critics call a “de-facto annexation,” according to The Times of Israel.
President Donald Trump has repeatedly urged Israeli officials not to annex the West Bank, as The Times of Israel reported after the cabinet’s authorization of the move. However, according to those who oppose increased Israeli power over the West Bank, Trump has ignored Israel’s actions that have essentially tightened its control of the region.
The Times of Israel reported that Peace Now, one of the organizations that opposes Israel’s settlement movement, stated, “We are warning President Trump — Netanyahu is deceiving you. You said you would not allow annexation, but he is annexing right under your nose.”
As Zeale News previously reported, Pope Leo XIV said in a Jan. 9 address to Vatican diplomats that the Holy See wants to see a two-state solution, which would benefit both the people of Palestine and the people of Israel.
“Yet sadly,” the Holy Father remarked, “there has been an increase in violence in the West Bank against the Palestinian civilian population, which has the right to live in peace in its own land.”
Christians in the West Bank and the broader area of the Holy Land, including the Patriarchs and Heads of Churches in Jerusalem, have been similarly critical of radical Jewish settler attacks on Palestinian properties in the West Bank.
As Zeale News has reported, “human rights organizations, local Palestinians including clergy in the West Bank, and Church leaders in Jerusalem report that radical Jewish settler groups continue to use intimidation and violence to push Palestinians out of the region,” and it is “widely reported that Israeli authorities have been unwilling to sufficiently police such activities.”
Zeale News has also reported that Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, said in October 2025 that the situation in the West Bank was continuing “to deteriorate” due to settler expansions and a refusal on Israel’s part to protect rightful residents.
“Our communities now face all kinds of problems daily, especially in small villages, which are increasingly surrounded and suffocated by settler attacks, without sufficient protection from the security authorities,” he said.
Mayor Maher Canawati of Bethlehem expressed opposition to Israeli policies that force Palestinian displacement in an interview published Jan. 13 by the U.S.-based Catholic apostolate the Vulnerable People Project. “We have a problem with those who want to kick us out, who want us gone. We have a problem with those who are against humanity,” said Mayor Canawati, a Christian.
Vice President JD Vance told reporters in October 2025 that he felt personally offended when lawmakers in Israel’s Knesset signaled they would move forward with a plan to annex the West Bank.
“The West Bank is not going to be annexed by Israel,” Vance said at the time, as reported by CatholicVote. “The policy of the Trump administration is that the West Bank will not be annexed by Israel. That will continue to be our policy. And if people want to take symbolic votes, they can do that. But we certainly weren’t happy about it.”