Islamic Jihad: Washington’s stance on West Bank aims to facilitate annexation

GAZA, Feb. 25 (YPA) – The Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine said on Wednesday that statements attributed to the US president opposing the annexation of the West Bank amount to misleading rhetoric aimed at quietly advancing Judaization and annexation plans, with minimal resistance from certain Arab governments.

In a statement, the movement said the US Embassy’s announcement that it would provide consular services inside the settlement of Efrat—located on land belonging to Bethlehem and Hebron—constitutes a violation of international law and underscores Washington’s bias in favor of Israeli settlement and annexation policies.

The statement stressed that portraying the move as part of a program to serve US citizens abroad, or describing the services as “mobile,” did not diminish its seriousness. Instead, it may reflect an attempt to normalize an American official presence inside settlements and entrench it as an accepted reality that serves annexation objectives.

The statement further warned that the provision of official services within settlements built on occupied land represents de facto recognition of their legitimacy and amounts to participation in what it described as a policy of “silent annexation”.

It noted that the step would expose a clear contradiction between declared US positions and actions on the ground.

AA