Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.), speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, said Friday he has not spoken with President Donald Trump about the latter’s recent statement that he would block Israel from applying sovereignty over Judea and Samaria.
“I believe Judea and Samaria are the traditional lands that belong to Israel,” the congressman told Family Research Council President Tony Perkins on an episode of their joint “This Week on Capitol Hill” podcast.
However, according to Johnson, “there’s a lot of geopolitical forces at play here—I think there’s a lot more to be settled out and we’ll have to see how it develops.
“Since he had that speech, I’ve been back home in Louisiana, and he’s been quite busy. We spoke a couple of times on the phone about other matters, but haven’t had a chance to delve into that,” Johnson said of Trump’s Sept. 25 comments about Judea and Samaria.
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office during a signing ceremony for executive orders, Trump said that he had relayed the message to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ahead of their Monday meeting.
“I will not allow Israel to annex the West Bank,” the president declared. “Whether I spoke to him or not—I did—but I’m not allowing Israel to annex the West Bank.”
The remarks gave credence to reports that he gave a similar message to Arab and Muslim officials on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly on Tuesday, assuring the leaders of Jordan, Qatar and other countries that he would prevent Netanyahu from annexing the territories.
“There’s been enough,” Trump said on Thursday. “It’s time to stop now.”
On Aug. 4, Johnson declared that Judea and Samaria belong to the Jewish people “by right,” as he became the highest-ranking American official to date to cross the Jewish state’s pre-1967 lines with Samaria.
According to the Israel Hayom daily, Johnson visited the Samaria city of Ariel with the express consent of Trump and the State Department.
