Vice President JD Vance reportedly criticized a symbolic vote that took place in Israel regarding the annexation of the occupied West Bank.

According to Vance, the vote, which took place in Israel’s parliament, amounted to an “insult” and allegedly went against the president’s policies. It was reported by the Associated Press that hard-liners within the Israeli parliament had narrowly passed a preliminary vote in support of annexing the West Bank.

The move was reportedly meant to embarrass Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu while Vance was still in the country. It was reported that the bill was passed by a 25-24 vote but is not expected to survive multiple rounds of voting to become a law, as Netanyahu still holds the power to veto or delay it.

Reconstruction begins

During the departure from Israel’s Ben Gurion airport, Vance also revealed new details about U.S. plans for Gaza. Vance also commented that he expected the reconstruction of the city to begin in some “Hamas-free” areas of the territory.

Despite the news of the reconstruction efforts, Vance did warn that it could take years to be fully completed. “The hope is to rebuild Rafah over the next two to three years, and theoretically you could have half a million people live (there),” he said.

According to the Associated Press, the city would account for about a quarter of Gaza’s population of roughly 2 million, with 90% of people being displaced from their homes during the conflict. It was stated that, out of 10 buildings, eight were either damaged of flattened.

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The World Bank, the U.N. and the European Union have estimated that it would cost about $53 billion to fully rebuild Gaza. In a statement, Netanyahu’s office stated that the “vote on annexation was a deliberate political provocation by the opposition to sow discord.”

Vance also added, that if the Knesset’s vote was a “political stunt, then it is a very stupid political stunt.” He added, “I personally take some insult to it.”

“The policy of the Trump administration is that the West Bank will not be annexed by Israel,” added Vance. Palestine’s deputy ambassador to the United Nations, Majed Bamya, told the U.N. Security Council on Thursday that Palestinians “appreciate the clear message” the Trump administration has sent in opposition to annexation.

Also, during his visit, Vance warned that if Hamas doesn’t comply with the deal, “very bad things are going to happen.” During a press briefing upon his arrival, the vice president claimed that the ceasefire in Gaza is going better than expected, urging people to have “a little bit of patience.”

“We know that Hamas has to comply with the deal, and if Hamas doesn’t comply with the deal, very bad things are going to happen,” the vice president said at the briefing. “But I’m not going to do what the president of the United States has thus far refused to do, which is put an explicit deadline on it, because a lot of this stuff is difficult, a lot of this stuff is unpredictable.”