Following President Donald Trump’s declaration Thursday that he “will not allow Israel to annex the West Bank,” a coalition of Christian and Jewish faith leaders has intensified their campaign urging the president to reject any Middle East peace initiative that would establish a Palestinian state or require Israeli territorial concessions.
“I will not allow Israel to annex the West Bank. It’s not going to happen,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office when asked to confirm reports that he assured Arab and Muslim leaders of that stance during a multilateral meeting held Tuesday on the UN General Assembly sidelines. Trump also indicated he had discussed the matter with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The president’s comments appear to have galvanized religious supporters of Israeli sovereignty, who launched a petition campaign specifically warning against reviving Trump’s previous “Peace to Prosperity” plan and any framework that would formalize Palestinian statehood.
The open letter, signed by thousands of pastors, rabbis, and religious leaders, specifically warns against reviving Trump’s previous “Peace to Prosperity” plan, which was first introduced in January 2020 during his previous presidency.
Biblical and Historical Arguments
The petition presents ten core arguments against territorial division, mixing religious, legal, and political reasoning. The signatories argue that “Israel’s land is covenant land” and cite biblical passages, including Genesis 15:18 and Joel 3:2, to support their position that dividing the territory “has consistently led to instability.”
The letter draws particular attention to Gaza, which Israel withdrew from in 2005. “Gaza was relinquished for peace. It was turned into a launchpad for attacks. It is now being retaken at great cost,” the petition states, referencing the ongoing conflict following Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attacks.
Concerns About Previous Plan’s Impact
The faith leaders express concern about what they describe as disruption following the original plan’s release. “National disruption, economic upheaval, and political confusion surged in the months after the map was released,” they write, though they acknowledge that “causality is complex.”
The original Peace to Prosperity plan included detailed maps showing a potential future Palestinian state alongside Israel, with land bridges connecting Palestinian territories. While designed to preserve Israeli security control, critics argued it legitimized the concept of Palestinian statehood.
Political Context
The campaign comes as Trump has indicated interest in pursuing Middle East peace initiatives during his second term. The Abraham Accords, which normalized relations between Israel and several Arab nations during Trump’s first presidency, were widely praised but included an understanding that Israel would pause plans to extend sovereignty over parts of the West Bank.
The petition argues that “the Abraham Accords paused Israel’s sovereignty over key Jewish communities” and warns that “pause should not become a permanent policy.”
Arguments for Israeli Sovereignty
The religious leaders contend that Israel’s presence in the West Bank, which they refer to by the biblical names Judea and Samaria, is “lawful under international law, not an obstacle to peace.” They argue that U.S. policy should “affirm Israel’s security and integrity—not pressure it into future withdrawals.”
The campaign represents a significant faith-based advocacy effort, emphasizing religious and historical claims to the disputed territories while warning against what they see as the dangers of territorial compromise.
