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Plain common sense

Donald Trump on annexing Judea and Samaria: "Israel is as small as the tip of my pen"

U.S. President speaking to reporters expressed uncertainty about the durability of the current ceasefire in Gaza.

Photo: Gil Corzo/ Shutterstock
Photo: Gil Corzo/ Shutterstock

A day before his White House meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, US President Donald Trump was asked about the possibility of supporting the annexation of Judea and Samaria. In response, he remarked that Israel is a “small country.”

“I’m not going to talk about that. It certainly is a small, it’s a small country in terms of land,” Trump said when pressed on the matter by a reporter.

Gesturing toward his desk, he picked up the pen he was using to sign executive orders. “See this pen?” he asked. “This wonderful pen on my desk is the Middle East, and the top of the pen — that’s Israel.”

“That’s not good, right? You know, it’s a pretty big difference. I use that as an analogy — it’s pretty accurate, actually,” he continued.

Reflecting further, he added, “It’s a pretty small piece of land. It’s amazing what they’ve been able to do when you think about it, [there’s] a lot of good, smart brain power, but it is a very small piece of land, no question about it.”

When asked about the likelihood of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas holding, former President Donald Trump responded bluntly: "I have no assurances that it will hold. I've seen people brutalized, nobody's ever seen anything like it. No, I have no guarantees that the peace is going to hold."

He then directed the reporter to his Middle East Envoy, Steve Witkoff, who offered a more optimistic outlook: "It's holding so far and we're certainly hopeful. That's the President's direction: get the hostages out, save lives, and come to hopefully a peaceful settlement. So far it's holding."

Trump is set to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday—his first meeting with a foreign leader since taking office. The discussion is expected to cover several critical issues, including negotiations for the second phase of the hostage deal.

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