White House reiterates Trump opposes Israeli annexation of West Bank: report

WASHINGTON, Feb. 9 (Xinhua) -- A White House official reportedly reiterated on Monday that U.S. President Donald Trump remains opposed to Israel's annexation of the West Bank, two days ahead of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's scheduled visit to Washington.

"A stable West Bank keeps Israel secure and is in line with this administration's goal to achieve peace in the region," the official was quoted as saying by Reuters.

Trump has repeatedly said that he will not allow Israel to annex the West Bank, which is seen as a "red line" for Arab leaders and a key element of the U.S.-drafted peace deal ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict last year.

"I will not allow Israel to annex the West Bank. I will not allow it. It's not going to happen," Trump told reporters in the White House in September.

However, the report does not say Trump will block all settlement expansion, but that he opposes formal annexation of the territory.

Trump is expected to hold talks with Netanyahu on Iran at the White House on Wednesday, according to a brief statement from Netanyahu's office. The two leaders last met in December.

Israel's security cabinet approved decisions on Sunday to deepen control over the West Bank and expand Jewish settlement there, sparking widespread condemnation.

On Monday, the foreign ministers of eight Arab and Muslim countries condemned in the strongest terms the "illegal" Israeli decisions aimed at entrenching settlement activity. Later, the EU and the UN also voiced condemnation over the Israeli move, calling it "another step in the wrong direction" and having "no legal validity."

Israel captured the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip in the 1967 Middle East War, areas widely recognized as the basis for a Palestinian state under the two-state solution.