Vice President JD Vance wrapped up a two-day visit to Israel on Thursday with unusually blunt remarks about the Knesset’s preliminary vote to annex the West Bank, calling the move “very stupid” and personally “insulting.”

Speaking to reporters before boarding his flight, Vance said he was “confused” by the vote, which passed narrowly on Wednesday despite opposition from Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and most of Likud. “I was told it was a political stunt — purely symbolic — but it was a very stupid political stunt,” he said. “The West Bank is not going to be annexed by Israel. The policy of the Trump administration is that the West Bank will not be annexed by Israel. That will continue to be our policy.”

Vance’s comments marked a sharp rebuke of Israel’s right-wing lawmakers and underscored growing unease in Washington over moves that could derail President Donald Trump’s cease-fire and reconstruction plan for Gaza. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio echoed that concern, warning that the Knesset’s actions “might be counterproductive” to the administration’s efforts to lock in a lasting peace.

“The president has made clear that’s not something we’d be supportive of right now,” Rubio told reporters before departing for Israel. “We think there’s potential for it to threaten the peace deal.”

Vance, who spent two days meeting with Israeli officials and members of the new International Security Force, said the Gaza cease-fire “is actually holding,” adding that both Israel and Hamas have largely respected the terms of the U.S.-brokered agreement.

“There are exceptions — little flare-ups here and there — but that’s to be expected when these parties have been at war for two years,” he said. “The peace is actually holding, and now we’re trying to figure out how to make it stick over the long term.”

The vice president said the newly formed multinational security force “will take the lead in disarming Hamas,” but cautioned that the effort “will take some time” and depend heavily on “the composition of that force.”

“There are certain countries that I expect will be quite good at it,” he said, naming Gulf partners including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar as key players in coordinating the next phase of Trump’s peace framework.

Asked about contacts with Hamas, Vance said communication occurs “through intermediaries,” but that most discussions have been with regional allies about shaping the force and advancing “phase two” of the plan.

The Knesset’s vote — which advanced both a broad proposal to apply sovereignty to all West Bank settlements and a narrower one covering a single major bloc — immediately drew international condemnation. Saudi Arabia called it an attempt to “legitimize Israeli sovereignty over illegal colonial settlement,” while the UAE warned last month that annexation would be a “red line” ending Israel’s regional integration.

Even Netanyahu’s Likud dismissed the bills as “opposition trolling” aimed at harming Israel’s diplomatic standing. “We strengthen settlement every day with actions, budgets, and construction — not with words,” the party said.

Still, hard-line ministers in Netanyahu’s coalition, including Bezalel Smotrich and Yariv Levin, have pressed for sweeping annexation since several Western countries recognized a Palestinian state last month. Smotrich has called for Israel to annex “82 percent of the West Bank.”

Trump himself has repeatedly ruled out annexation, telling reporters last month, “I’m not allowing Israel to annex the West Bank. There’s been enough. It’s time to stop now.”

Vance’s rebuke capped a tense week for U.S.-Israel relations as both governments try to keep the fragile Gaza cease-fire from unraveling ahead of a major ruling-party conference in Jerusalem early next year. Rubio will visit Israel on Thursday to “support the successful implementation of President Trump’s Comprehensive Plan to End the Conflict in Gaza,” according to the State Department.

The back-to-back visits reflect Washington’s effort to project unity while privately warning Israeli lawmakers not to jeopardize the deal’s next phase.

“Our message is simple,” Vance said. “Do whatever you can to work with us to make this peace stick.”

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