U.S. President Donald Trump told TIME magazine that he would not allow Israel to annex the West Bank, warning that such a move would cost Israel American support.

“That will not happen because I gave my word to the Arab countries… Israel will lose all U.S. support if it happens,” Trump said.

On Wednesday, Israeli lawmakers voted to advance two bills on annexing the occupied West Bank. Earlier Thursday, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar stated that the government had not decided to postpone the annexation vote at this stage, in order to ensure the success of Trump’s multi-step plan for Gaza.

Settlement construction has been rapidly expanding since 2022, when Benjamin Netanyahu’s government came to power.