Afrasianet - British writer David Hirst highlighted the Trump administration's support  for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu 's expansionist policies, especially with regard to the annexation of  the occupied West Bank , saying that this trend fuels tension in the region and portends serious consequences.

Those who imagine Trump as the president who will stop the war in the Middle East should take a look at what is currently happening in the West Bank.

The Israeli army, stunned by the sight of hundreds of Hamas fighters and luxury jeeps surrounding a Red Cross vehicle during the release of the three Israeli prisoners in the first batch, is now turning its anger on Jenin following 15 months of ongoing war on the Gaza Strip.

The images of the release of the prisoners in Gaza shocked Israeli public opinion, which was fed by the myths of "overwhelming victory."

The large-scale ground offensive on refugee camps in the West Bank was planned in advance, but the timing was right to persuade Bezalel Smotrich, the right-wing finance minister and de facto West Bank consul general, to remain in government after he threatened to resign over the Gaza ceasefire.

According to Hirst, everything seems set to repeat the scenario of a "dream relationship" between Trump and Israel as happened during his first term, where he currently appoints names to important positions that are completely aligned with Israel, such as his new ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, and Defense Secretary Pete Higsyth.

The writer sharply criticized President Trump, saying that his positions on the Palestinian issue are not promising, and that the Israeli prime minister will bet on Trump to abort the Palestinian state before it is born.

He explained that Israelis are exhausted by the war because of the cost they paid in terms of soldiers' lives, the cost to the economy, and the damage that the war has caused to their way of life, and the war, in the words of Israeli political analyst Meron Rapoport, has become "a heavy burden on the government, the army and society as a whole."

Israeli society is more divided than ever, and weekly demonstrations by hostage families have increased pressure on the government, which has claimed that only military action can bring prisoners back alive.

He added that  the ceasefire in Lebanon did not ease the pressure on Netanyahu but rather increased it, leading him to conclude that he would use the upcoming elections if he continued his position to continue the war.

But there is another question that imposes itself: If Israel is exhausted by war as polls suggest, why is it waging another war in the West Bank? Why have they occupied more areas in Syria than they currently occupy in Gaza?

Netanyahu has been very clever in his analysis of what Washington will allow, believing that Trump's insistence on stopping the war on Gaza is only about Israeli prisoners, and once they return, Israel can do whatever it wants in Gaza or the West Bank.

Netanyahu understands that his operation in Jenin will lead not only to the demolition of the city, but to the demolition of the already dying Palestinian Authority, and therefore will not be able to continue to help the Israeli military machine demolish Jenin, Tulkarm, Nablus, and all other areas of resistance.

The current operation in Jenin is expected to lead to further defections in the Preventive Security Forces as happened in the second intifada, which Netanyahu knows well.

Netanyahu aspires for the West Bank to be under Israeli military rule, and herein lies the main difference compared to Trump's first term.

Israel has lost the sympathy of an entire generation of American Jews because of its brutality in Gaza.

The writer stressed that the option to proceed with plans to annex the West Bank will ignite the region, and Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi was quoted as warning several times of the consequences of such a move, saying, "The West Bank is on our border and the situation is dangerous, and what is happening there could destabilize the security of the region."Trump should not ignore the gravity of this situation.