"Three days before the Israeli elections were held on April 9, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Channel 12 that he would start extending Israeli sovereignty over the West Bank and annex West Bank settlements if he was reelected. The settlements are illegal under international law, although Israel disputes this. For many Palestinians, however, this has been a fait accompli for many years now."

Critics are demanding answers after the Trump administration refused to allow prominent Palestinian human rights activist Omar Barghouti to enter the United States for a speaking tour, despite his valid U.S. visa.

With this denial of entry, Israel appears to have once again enlisted the Trump administration to do its bidding.

"It has so far recognised only one side’s claims to Jerusalem and demonstrated a disturbing indifference to Israeli settlement expansion. The US has suspended funding for the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) and for other programmes benefitting Palestinians – gambling with the security and stability of various countries located at Europe’s doorstep."

"Everybody said you can't have peace in the Middle East with Israel and Palestinians. I think we have a chance and I think we now have a better chance," [Trump] added. In his election campaign, Netanyahu, whose last government was the most right-wing in Israeli history, showed little interest in peacemaking. Ahead of the vote, he said he would annex illegal Israeli settlements if he won a fifth term."