Top U.S. officials criticize Israel's moves on West Bank annexation as they try to maintain Gaza ceasefire

Marco Rubio has warned that the Israeli parliament’s moves toward annexing the occupied West Bank could imperil Trump‘s plan to end the conflict in Gaza.

Top U.S. officials have hit out at the Israeli parliament's move toward annexing the already occupied West Bank, labeling it an “insult” that could damage Washington's efforts to keep the Gaza ceasefire on track and build toward a more lasting peace deal.

Vice President JD Vance on Thursday said that if the vote in the Knesset was a “political stunt, it was a very stupid political stunt and I personally took some insult to it.” Speaking with reporters, Vance called the vote “weird,” and said “we certainly weren’t happy about it.”

His comments came after Secretary of State Marco Rubio separately warned Wednesday night as he prepared to depart for Israel that the Knesset's actions could imperil President Donald Trump's plan to end the conflict. Rubio was set to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later Thursday.

Vance says Israel trip not about monitoring ceasefire like ‘a toddler’00:48The criticism came after a bill seeking to apply Israeli law to the West Bank, a move seen as amounting to annexation of the land that Palestinians view as part of a future state, gained preliminary approval from Israel’s parliament earlier Wednesday.

“That’s a vote in the Knesset, but obviously I think the president’s made clear that’s not something we’d be supportive of right now,” Rubio said, speaking with reporters late Wednesday on the tarmac.