JERUSALEM, Oct. 23 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Vice President JD Vance on Thursday strongly criticized the Israeli parliament's vote to annex the West Bank, carried out during his visit to the country, calling it a "political stunt."

Speaking to reporters at Ben Gurion International Airport outside Tel Aviv before his departure, Vance said he was told it was a "political stunt" which has no practical significance. "If it was a political stunt, it was a very stupid political stunt, and I personally take some insult to it," he said.

He noted that the West Bank would not be annexed by Israel, which would continue to be the policy of the Trump administration.

Earlier on Wednesday, Israel's parliament voted 25-24 in favor of a bill to apply Israeli law and administration to all settlements in the West Bank, referred to by Israel as Judea and Samaria. The bill, introduced by right-wing lawmaker Avi Maoz of the Noam Party, now heads to the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee for further debate.

The U.S. vice president said that, despite it being "symbolic votes," "we are certainly not happy about that." ■