A confidant of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that the Israeli leader’s plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank would not start on Wednesday, the original target date, as the British prime minister made an extraordinary appeal to Israel to call off the plan.
A confidant of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that the Israeli leader’s plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank would not start on Wednesday, the original target date, as the United Kingdom’s prime minister made an extraordinary appeal to call off the plan.
The developments cast further uncertainty over whether Israel will ultimately follow through on the annexation initiative, which has drawn international condemnation from some of its closest allies.
Speaking on Israel’s Army Radio station, cabinet minister Ofir Akunis confirmed that the annexation process would not begin on Wednesday, saying that officials were still working out the final details with their American counterparts. He said he expected the annexation to take place later in July.
“Co-ordination with the American administration is not something that can be dismissed,” he said.
Netanyahu had aimed to start the process by Wednesday, saying he wants to begin annexing West Bank territory in line with U.S. President Donald Trump’s Mideast plan. The plan, unveiled in January, envisions bringing some 30 per cent of the territory under permanent Israeli control, while giving the Palestinians limited autonomy in carved-up pockets of the remaining land.
The prime minister’s office issued a statement saying Netanyahu held discussions Wednesday with American diplomats and Israeli defence officials on the issue of annexation, and that “additional discussions will be be held in the coming days.”
The plan has come under stiff international criticism. The United Nations, the European Union and key Arab countries have all said Israel’s annexation would violate international law and undermine the already diminished prospects of establishing a viable independent Palestinian state alongside Israel. Even close allies, like the U.K., have opposed it.
