Benjamin Netanyahu waiting for Donald Trump nod on annexation

Benjamin Netanyahu’s plan to begin annexing parts of the West Bank is delayed as the US has yet to declare its full support.

A Palestinian slings back an Israeli teargas canister during a protest in Ramallah on Wednesday. Picture: AFP

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plan to begin annexing parts of the West Bank this month has been delayed as the US has yet to declare its full support for the move.

Under a coalition agreement between Mr Netanyahu’s Likud party and former rival Benny Gantz’s Blue and White, the Prime Minister could have begun the annexation process from Wednesday so long as it was done with the consent of the Trump administration.

But some US officials are wary of having the administration quickly green-light an annexation, which has divided US congress.

“It could have happened today but things still need to crystallise with the American government. There hasn’t been complete agreement over which areas Israeli sovereignty will be applied,” said Likud MP and soon-to-be minister of regional co-operation Ofir ­Akunis on Israel’s Army Radio.

He said Israel would not begin the process before President ­Donald Trump made a declaration about it, something Israel had expected last week.

US officials are looking for ways to achieve peace in the Middle East based on a plan the Trump administration unveiled earlier this year, and are seeking to restart discussions between the Israelis and Palestinians, diplomats familiar with the discussions said.

They are looking at gestures ­including giving the Palestinians more autonomy in parts of the areas of the West Bank that Israel has at least some control over, the diplomats said. Talks between the US and Israel are ongoing.

On Wednesday, Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi sought to tone down the expectations around the date.

“It doesn’t seem to me reasonable that something will happen today,” he told Army Radio.

Mr Ashkenazi is a member of Mr Gantz’s party, which can’t veto the annexation process but is against any unilateral annexation move.

Mr Netanyahu, Mr Gantz and Mr Ashkenazi have met separately with US special representative for international negotiations Avi Berkowitz and ambassador to ­Israel David Friedman over the past few days to discuss steps that Washington would support amid the international pushback and ­divisions in the unity government.

“I spoke about the question of sovereignty, which we are working on these days and we will continue to work on in the coming days,” Mr Netanyahu said after meeting with American officials late on Tuesday.

The Trump administration’s proposal for peace allows Israel to annex up to 30 per cent of the West Bank if the US and Israel agree on a map and Israel commits to talks with the Palestinians on the basis of the plan.

It allows for the creation of a Palestinian state but on greatly ­reduced terms compared with previous plans. The Palestinians ­immediately rejected the plan when it was released in January.

The Wall Street Journal