Secretary of State Marco Rubio‘s press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was noticeably dour following a perceived slight from the Knesset.
Following Rubio’s meeting with Netanyahu on Thursday, the two statesmen emerged for a conference that lasted less than two minutes and took no questions from reporters.
“No one’s under any illusions. We’ve already done the impossible once, and we intend to keep doing that,” Rubio said, seeming to acknowledge major hurdles in implementing the Gaza peace plan.
Rubio’s brief remarks emphasized “substantial obstacles” ahead while still maintaining a rhetoric of optimism about the ultimate success of President Donald Trump’s 20-point plan.
“It’s a very important achievement, but there’s more work to be done and bigger achievements that lie ahead,” Rubio said. “We feel very positive and confident that we’re going to get there despite substantial obstacles.”
He noted that his plane, headed to Israel, crossed paths with Air Force Two carrying Vice President JD Vance, who was returning following a multiday trip to the Jewish state.
What had been a generally positive and amicable visit turned sour at the end after the Knesset passed a first vote on a bill declaring sovereignty over the West Bank.
Knesset member Avi Maoz pushed through the “Application of Israeli Sovereignty in Judea and Samaria, 2025” bill on Wednesday with a narrow vote of 25-24.
The bill states that “the State of Israel will apply its laws and sovereignty to the settlement areas in Judea and Samaria, in order to establish the status of these areas as an inseparable part of the sovereign State of Israel.”
When asked about the bill, which still faces multiple rounds of examination and further votes, Vance offered a sharp rebuke against the initiative, characterizing it as a blow to the U.S.-led efforts to sustain peace in the region.
“I personally take some insult to it,” Vance told reporters after arriving at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv. “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,” Vance added.
Netanyahu disavowed the bill as well, saying it is an intentional provocation from political opponents in the legislature, intentionally timed for Vance’s trip.
“The Knesset vote on annexation was a deliberate political provocation by the opposition to sow discord during Vice President JD Vance’s visit to Israel,” Netanyahu said. “The two bills were sponsored by opposition members of the Knesset.”
He called out one member of his political party, Likud, who gave the one additional vote needed to get the bill over the threshold.
“The Likud party and the religious parties did not vote for these bills, except for one disgruntled Likud member who was recently fired from the chairmanship of a Knesset committee,” he explained. “Without Likud support, these bills are unlikely to go anywhere.”
A previously unpublished statement from Trump also emerged that left little doubt about the negative impact annexation would have on U.S.-Israeli relations.
Trump vowed to pull all support from Israel if it attempted to annex the West Bank in an interview with Time published on Thursday. The interview was conducted on Oct. 15, before the Knesset vote took place.
“[Annexation] won’t happen. It won’t happen,” Trump told the outlet. “It won’t happen because I gave my word to the Arab countries. And you can’t do that now. We’ve had great Arab support. It won’t happen because I gave my word to the Arab countries. It will not happen. Israel would lose all of its support from the United States if that happened.”
ISRAEL’S RIGHT-WING VOTES FOR ISRAELI SOVEREIGNTY IN WEST BANK, IGNORING NETANYAHU’S OPPOSITION
Following the initial establishment of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, Trump spoke to the Knesset and offered his lifelong support for Israel — with some heavy qualifications.
“I’ve always stood for the people of this community, and I always will. I’ll always be with you. I’m always gonna be with you,” Trump said before walking that promise back. “I guess maybe something could happen to change my mind — somebody that’s really stupid gets into office and wants to do really bad things, but that’s about it. We don’t think we’re gonna have that happen, I hope we’re not gonna have that happen.”