Trump Kills Two-State Solution: West Bank Takeover Begins

The meeting, their first since the U.S. launched a full-scale air war on Iran in February, took place behind closed doors with no press appearance [206167]. Netanyahu described the talks as “one of the best” he has had with Trump, and both leaders agreed that Iran must never obtain a nuclear weapon [206167]. However, the relationship has shifted markedly from previous warm visits, with experts pointing to growing tensions over policy and personal rapport [206036]. Netanyahu did not get a private, one-on-one meeting; instead, Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and several advisers were present [206229].

The meeting comes as Israel’s right-wing government accelerates its long-term campaign to fully control the West Bank, using settler militias to harass Palestinian residents, destroy their homes, and restrict their movement [206422]. The goal is to quickly eliminate the conditions needed for a Palestinian state to exist alongside Israel, effectively ending the so-called “two-state solution” [206422]. The United States, under Trump, has not opposed this strategy, with critics saying the administration is abandoning decades of U.S. policy that supported a separate Palestinian state [206422]. Violence in the West Bank is escalating, with settler groups, often backed by the Israeli military, forcing Palestinians off their land [206422].

Both leaders face pressure at home. Netanyahu’s political future depends on Israel’s legislative elections on October 27, and he sought the meeting for weeks hoping for a photo with Trump to boost his campaign [206128]. Trump faces U.S. midterm elections on November 3, which could end the Republican Party’s control of Congress, and he is urgently seeking peace with Iran to lower gasoline prices and justify the war’s costs, including $95 billion in extra military spending and 18 U.S. soldiers killed [206128]. On Monday, Trump said of Iran: “We have few differences. We are quite close” [206128].

Tensions have also grown over Israel’s actions in Gaza, where despite a cease-fire, deadly strikes continue, and Israel occupies southern Lebanon [205963]. Settler violence in the West Bank is rising, souring opinion on Israel among the American public and U.S. political leaders [205963]. Trump has shielded Netanyahu from an International Criminal Court arrest warrant for war crimes related to the genocide in Gaza, stating: “Benjamin Netanyahu will not be arrested, under any circumstances, while he is in the U.S.” [206128].