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US ambassador’s annexation comments please Israeli right

  • May 06, 2020

May 6, 2020

The United States relocated its embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem in May 2018. Two years later, Ambassador David Friedman stated that the Donald Trump administration will support Israeli plans for partial West Bank annexation under certain conditions.

In a May 6 interview with the right-wing Israel Hayom newspaper, Friedman explained that when the process of mapping the area to be annexed is completed, Israel would need to suspend settlement construction in the areas not to be annexed, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would need to propose to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas that they open negotiations on the basis of the Trump administration’s Middle East peace plan. Then, and assuming that Netanyahu will get Knesset approval for an annexation plan, the United States will recognize Israel’s sovereignty in the areas that the plan outlined. Israel Hayom will publish the full text of the interview on Friday.

Friedman also gave an interview to the Jerusalem Post, making sure that his annexation statements got into the headlines. It’s the perfect gift for Netanyahu just a day before the deadline for presenting the new government to the Knesset. “We will be ready to address this issue if Israel is ready. Ultimately, as Secretary [of State Mike] Pompeo said, it’s Israel’s decision. They have to decide what they want to do,” said the ambassador. 

Friedman was clear on the negotiation point, emphasizing that the new Israeli premier must offer to talk to the Palestinians. US recognition of Israel’s sovereignty over West Bank settlements would depend on Israel’s agreement to negotiate “in good faith,” as Friedman told the Jerusalem Post. “The expectation is that the prime minister will agree to negotiate — and if the Palestinians show up, he will negotiate in good faith based on this plan.”

As a reminder, Israel has already embraced Trump’s peace plan, which Blue and White leader Benny Gantz has called on the political system to accept in full. The unity agreement enables Netanyahu to present an annexation proposal for voting as early as July 1.

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