Palestinian Hamas supporters take part in a protest against Israel’s plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank, in the southern Gaza Strip, June 26, 2020.  Photo by REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa.

Israel’s Defense Minister Benny Gantz warned Hamas against retaliating against Israel’s planned annexation of parts of the West Bank.

“If Hamas tests us, they will pay a heavy price,” Gantz said Monday.

The Gaza-based militant group fired rockets last Friday in Israel’s direction a day after its spokesperson warned that annexation would be seen as a “declaration of war.” Israel’s air force responded by striking two Hamas sites in the southern Gaza Strip.

Hamas spokesman Abu Obeida said Thursday Israel would “regret bitterly” extending sovereignty over the Palestinian territory.

“The occupation and those who stand behind it need to understand very well: The resistance considers this decision a declaration of war on our Palestinian people,” Obeida said in a statement.

Gantz, who also serves as Israel’s alternate prime minister, said Lebanon would be held responsible for any actions Lebanese Shiite militia Hezbollah takes in response to annexation.

“Israel will not accept any excuses,” Gantz said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said his government will begin the process of annexation as soon as Wednesday, conditional on US approval. Under the plan, up to 30% of the West Bank, including Jewish settlements and fertile Jordan Valley, would be incorporated into Israel.

But Gantz, Netanyahu’s main coalition partner, suggested Monday that annexation may need to wait until after Israel deals with its coronavirus outbreak. Citing a source close to the former army chief, The Times of Israel reported Gantz told US diplomats that July 1 was not “a sacred date.”

Additionally, American sources familiar with the negotiations told The Jerusalem Post that annexation would not be happening as planned on Wednesday.

Also on Monday, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet condemned Israel’s proposed annexation.

“Annexation is illegal. Period,” Bachelet said in a statement, adding, “I am deeply concerned that even the most minimalist form of annexation would lead to increased violence and loss of life.”

Source: https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2020/06/hamas-gantz-israel-retaliate-annexation-west-bank-netanyahu.html

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German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas on Wednesday will land in Israel ahead of his expected meeting with his Israeli counterpart, Gabi Ashkenazi.

The visit’s official capacity is for Maas to acquaint himself with Ashkenazi. Unofficially, Maas intends to caution Israel against its stated intentions to begin annexing parts of the West Bank on July 1.

Maas is expected to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Benny Gantz, and Ashkenazi. He will later also confer with Palestinian leadership over video conference after Israel cited its coronavirus quarantine orders to prevent Maas from visiting the West Bank. He will then travel to Jordan in the evening for additional talks.

This is Maas’ first trip outside of Europe since the outbreak of the coronavirus.

According to sources within the Foreign Ministry, Israel’s intent to annex West Bank settlements is a grave concern for Germany, which seeks to mediate between Israelis and Palestinians and prevent a violent escalation in the region.

Germany is a key ally of Israel in international organizations but is also a staunch defender of international law institutions.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s declarations that annexation will be promoted on July 1, in less than one month, have put Berlin in a major quandary. On July 1, Germany will be taking over the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union and will be assuming the presidency of the UN Security Council. These two roles will require the Germans to choose between their allegiance to international law and UN resolutions on the one hand and their historical commitment to Israel on the other.

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In late May, Germany and the Palestinian Authority released a joint statement expressing “grave concern” over Israel’s declared intention to begin annexing parts of the West Bank and the Jordan Valley.

Source:  https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-german-foreign-minister-lands-in-israel-expected-to-warn-netanyahu-against-annexation-1.8910253

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An Israeli flag is seen in the E1 area of the West Bank on January 2, 2017. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Slightly fewer than half of Israelis back plans to annex parts of the West Bank, and even fewer people think the government will actually go through with its annexation plans, according to a survey released Sunday.

Asked whether they back annexation in the near future, 44.7 percent of respondents to an Israel Democracy Institute survey said they support or strongly support the move. The poll found 31.8% oppose annexation, and 23.5% didn’t know or didn’t answer.

A slight majority of 51.7% Israeli Jews support annexation, the poll found, while among Israeli Arabs, only 8.8% were in favor. Among Jews, 27.9% opposed annexation, and 20.4% didn’t know or didn’t answer. Among Arabs, 51.9% were opposed, and 39.4% didn’t know or didn’t answer.

As part of their coalition agreement, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Blue and White chief Benny Gantz agreed the government that is due to be sworn Wednesday can begin moving forward with applying Israeli sovereignty to settlements and the Jordan Valley after July 1, a move expected to enjoy backing from a majority of lawmakers in the current Knesset.

Support for annexation among Jews was unsurprisingly divided on political lines, with 71% of self-defined right-wing Jews backing it, along with 31% of centrists and only 8% of left-wingers.

Overall, 31.8% of Israelis think the government will actually push ahead with annexation in the coming year. The survey found that many who don’t support the move still think the government will actually carry out the controversial measure, while some supporters were pessimistic it would happen.

Among Jews, 33% thought the government would in fact annex, and 25% of Arabs believed the same. The survey found that 42% of right-wingers think it will happen over the coming year, as do 27% of left-wing Jews and 18% of centrists.

The survey also asked what political status, if any, should be extended to Palestinians in areas slated for annexation.

A plurality of Israelis (32.1%) said the Palestinians’ political status should remain unchanged, while 24.6 % supported giving them full citizenship and 20.5% back permanent residency without the right to vote.

Among only Jews, 37% said the Palestinians’ status should remain unchanged, 24% backed giving them permanent residency and 20% said they support granting them full citizenship.

Among Arabs, 47% supported full citizenship, while 4.5% were okay with permanent residency and 9% think their status should remain unchanged.

The poll was made up of the responses of 769 Israelis and had a margin of error of 3.7%.

According to the Peace Now settlement watchdog, there are 107,070 Palestinians living in the areas of the West Bank that the Trump plan envisions will be part of Israel.

When announcing plans last year to unilaterally annex the Jordan Valley, Netanyahu claimed no Palestinians living there would be absorbed by Israel.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (L) and US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman (2nd-L) at the northern West Bank settlement of Ariel on February 24, 2020. (David Azagury/US Embassy Jerusalem)

In exchange for backing Israeli annexation, the US says Israel must freeze building in parts of the West Bank under its control that won’t be included in its envisioned borders and agree to negotiate with the Palestinians on the basis of the Trump plan, including backing for a Palestinian state.

David Friedman, the US ambassador in Jerusalem, said in an interview last week that Israel has met those conditions and therefore could apply sovereignty in parts of the West Bank as soon as the coming weeks.

Blue and White chairman Benny Gantz (C) speaks to reporters during a visit to the Jordan Valley on January 21, 2020. (Elad Malka/Blue and White)

Annexation is also expected to feature prominently in talks during US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s visit to Israel on Wednesday.

While Netanyahu has voiced his unqualified support for advancing annexation, Gantz has welcomed the Trump plan but said in January that Israel should only apply sovereignty over the Jordan Valley in coordination with the international community, apparently fearing the move could damage Jerusalem’s diplomatic ties with Jordan and other countries.

Source: https://www.timesofisrael.com/fewer-than-half-of-israelis-back-annexation-even-fewer-think-it-will-happen/

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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu points at a map of the Jordan Valley as he gives a statement, promising to extend Israeli sovereignty to the Jordan Valley and the northern Dead Sea area, in Ramat Gan on September 10, 2019. (Menahem Kahana/AFP)

Eleven European ambassadors to Israel on Thursday warned Jerusalem of severe consequences if it moves ahead with plans to annex parts of the West Bank as part of a government coalition deal.

The envoys from the UK, Germany, France, Ireland, the Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, and the EU issued a formal objection to the Foreign Ministry against the move, Channel 13 reported.

The ambassadors made the protest during a video conference with the Foreign Ministry’s Europe deputy, Anna Azari.

“We are very concerned about the clause in the coalition agreement that paves the way for annexing parts of the West Bank. The annexation of any part of the West Bank constitutes a clear violation of international law,” the ambassadors said. “Such unilateral steps will harm efforts to renew the peace process and will have grave consequences for regional stability and for Israel’s standing in the international arena.”

The envoys also demanded a freeze on government plans to allow construction in the Givat Hamatos neighborhood in East Jerusalem.

Also on Thursday, the Arab League said that the planned annexation constituted a “new war crime” against the Palestinians during a virtual conference chaired in Cairo.

“The implementation of plans to annex any part of the Palestinian territories occupied in 1967, including the Jordan Valley… and the lands on which Israeli settlements are standing represents a new war crime… against the Palestinian people,” Arab foreign ministers said in a joint statement.

The Arab League also urged the United States to “withdraw its support in enabling the plans of the occupying Israeli government.”

In this February 18, 2020 photo, a view of the West Bank settlement of Ma’ale Efraim on the hills of the Jordan Valley (AP/Ariel Schalit)

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On Monday, the United States said it was ready to recognize Israel’s annexation of key parts of the West Bank, but said the offer was contingent on an offer of statehood to the Palestinians.

“As we have made consistently clear, we are prepared to recognize Israeli actions to extend Israeli sovereignty and the application of Israeli law to areas of the West Bank that the vision foresees as being part of the State of Israel,” a US State Department spokesperson said when asked if the US would allow Israel’s new government to move forward with the process.

“The annexation would be in the context of an offer to the Palestinians to achieve statehood based upon specific terms, conditions, territorial dimensions, and generous economic support.  This is an unprecedented and highly beneficial opportunity for the Palestinians,” the State Department spokesperson said.

The Palestinians have refused to negotiate with the Trump administration, considering it biased. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas threatened last week to cancel all agreements with Israel and the US if Israel moved forward with annexation plans.

US President Donald Trump in January unveiled a peace plan to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Rejected by the Palestinians and condemned by much of the international community, the plan gives Israel the green-light to annex Jewish settlements and other strategic territories in the West Bank.

An Israeli coalition government agreement reached last week includes a framework for implementing the annexations outlined in the plan, starting in July.

Blue and White leader Benny Gantz (left) and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sign their unity government agreement on April 20, 2020. (GPO)

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Under the US proposal, the Palestinians would be granted a sovereign but demilitarized state in the remaining parts of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, along with promises of major investment.

The Palestinian state’s capital would be on the outskirts of Jerusalem, which would remain fully under Israeli sovereignty.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that he was “confident” Trump would let him fulfill his election promise to apply Israeli sovereignty over parts of the West Bank “a couple of months from now.”

According to the wording of the “emergency government” deal between Netanyahu’s Likud party and Benny Gantz’s Blue and White faction, starting July 1, 2020, Netanyahu “will be able to bring the agreement reached with the US on the application of sovereignty [in the West Bank] for the approval of the cabinet and or the Knesset.”

In addition, “the law will be passed as quickly as possible… and will not be disrupted or delayed by the chairmen of either the House or the Foreign Affairs and Defense committees.”

The Netanyahu-Gantz deal stipulates that any Israeli action would need US backing, and must take into account Israel’s peace treaties with neighboring Jordan and Egypt, the only two Arab states that have formal peace treaties and diplomatic relations with Israel.

Netanyahu’s right-wing base is eager to move forward with annexation while the friendly Trump administration is in office.

Israel captured the West Bank and East Jerusalem from Jordan during the 1967 Six-Day War. The Palestinians seek those territories as part of a future independent state. The annexation of West Bank settlements would infuriate the Palestinians and Israel’s Arab neighbors.

Source: https://www.timesofisrael.com/11-european-ambassadors-warn-israel-against-west-bank-annexation/

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Trump announced the proposal alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during remarks in the East Room of the White House.

WHAT’S IN TRUMP’S MIDDLE EAST PEACE PLAN?

“My vision presents a win-win situation for both sides,” Trump said. “Today Israel has taken a giant step toward peace.”

He later tweeted a map of the proposed State of Palestine.

While Trump and Netanyahu praised the plan as a way toward ending the decades-long conflict between the Israelis and Palestinians, odds of the peace plan taking shape are long given that the Palestinians have preemptively rejected the plan.

“This is a great deal,” Trump said. “And the Palestinians may not have this opportunity ever again.”

Trump acknowledged he’s setting out toward a goal that has eluded every U.S. president in modern times but claimed those prior efforts were too vague and short on critical details. Trump declared his plan is “the most detailed proposal ever put forward.”

“All prior administrations from President Lyndon Johnson have tried and failed,” Trump said. “In the past, even the most well-intentioned plans were light on details.”

Trump added: “There is nothing tougher than this one, we have an obligation to humanity to get it done.”

Netanyahu, who faces a tough re-election in March amid a corruption scandal, used his time on the dais to praise Trump’s plan and how it benefited Israeli sovereignty and security. The Israeli leader added that past deals had not had the “right balance between Israeli security and Palestinians aspirations.”

“You have charted a brilliant future for Israelis and Palestinians toward a lasting peace,” he said. “For decades that peace has proved elusive.”

He added: “It’s a great plan for Israel, it’s a great plan for peace.”

White House officials described the plan as realistic and said Israel is prepared to act. According to White House officials, the plan calls for a two-state solution including the state of Israel and the “future” state of Palestine. Under the plan, the Palestinians would have to reach certain benchmarks to achieve a state. Those benchmarks include rooting out terrorism, stopping what they call “pay to slay,” implementing steps toward free speech, and other political reforms.

The plan is a basis for negotiations with Israel, Trump officials said, claiming many of the Palestinians’ red lines are met, including their calls for a Palestinian state and a capital in parts of East Jerusalem.

The vision calls for more than doubling the amount of territory the Palestinians control.

“This plan will double Palestinian territory and set the capital of the Palestinian state in eastern Jerusalem where the United States will happily open an embassy,” Trump said. “Our vision will end the cycle of Palestinian dependence on charity and foreign aid.”

The plan also includes a map of a contiguous Palestinian state in the West Bank, with a proposed tunnel to connect the West Bank and Gaza Strip. There would also be land swaps south of Gaza to give the Palestinians more territory.

This is the first time Israel has agreed to a Palestinian state with defined borders.

A small strip of land between the Egyptian border and the proposed land swap areas south of Gaza would remain Israeli territory and be subject to Israeli security control. This was requested by Egypt as a buffer against cross-border terrorism.

As part of the plan, Israel has agreed to halt settlement construction for four years. But in one detail sure to provoke Palestinian objections, the plan recognizes Israeli sovereignty over major settlement blocs in the West Bank.

The plan calls for a demilitarized Palestinian state. Israel would maintain overall security, though it does create programs for the Palestinians to show the capability to secure their areas, including a local police force. The more the Palestinians show they can secure their areas and cooperate with Israel, the less Israel will have to do in terms of maintaining security, officials said.

Israel would maintain the sovereignty of the Jordan Valley east of the West Bank, according to the proposal. Israel would also maintain the security of the area.

There is a plan that over time, Palestinians would be able to achieve some civil sovereignty in the Jordan Valley, like farming, officials said.

While the Palestinians have been negative toward the plan, White House officials said Trump believes they will begin to move toward it.

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Both Netanyahu and his political challenger, Benny Gantz, have agreed to implement this plan, regardless of the outcome of the upcoming March 2 election.

The officials portrayed the plan as Israel agreeing to massive concessions without jeopardizing its security, amounting to a serious good-faith effort that Israel has agreed to negotiate. The officials said the plan is realistic and Israel is prepared to follow through with it.

They also argue that the Trump administration’s moves to relocate the embassy and recognize Israeli sovereignty over the Golan were important confidence-building measures that led to this plan.

The Palestinians, though, refuse to even speak to Trump, saying he’s biased in favor of Israel, and they are calling on Arab representatives to reject the Tuesday event at the White House. While Trump and Netanyahu were giving their comments, Palestinian leaders were meeting in the West Bank to discuss the plan.

The Palestinian leadership also has encouraged protests in the West Bank, raising fears that the announcement in Washington could spark a new round of violence. Ahead of the announcement, the Israeli military said it was reinforcing infantry troops along the Jordan Valley.

Hamas, the Palestinian Sunni-Islamic fundamentalist militant organization that has waged war with Israel for decades, rejected the plan and called it a “theatrical presentation to sell illusions” in a comment to Fox News.

Fox News’ Alex Pappas, Trey Yingst, and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Source: https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-middle-east-peace-plan-includes-two-state-solution-tunnel-to-connect-west-bank-and-gaza-strip

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Gantz and Kahol Lavan member Moshe Ya’alon during a tour of the West BankElad Malka

Benny Gantz, chairman of Kahol Lavan, said Tuesday that he would work to advance Israel’s annexation of the Jordan Valley after Israel’s March 2 election, adding he is expecting the publication of the Trump administration’s Mideast peace plan. In response, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who in the past has promised annexation not only of the Jordan Valley but of Area C territories comprising over 60% of the West Bank, said he will apply Israeli law to all Israeli settlements “without exception.”

Speaking during a tour of the region, Gantz said “The Jordan Valley is Israel’s eastern defensive barrier in any future conflict. Israeli governments that spoke of the possibility of returning the area [to Jordanian control] were making a grave strategic and security mistake, and we see this strip of land as an inseparable part of the State of Israel.”

>> Defense chief says Israel will apply sovereignty to West Bank ■ Whoever wins Israel’s next election will be a right-winger

When asked about the Trump administration’s plan for Middle East peace, Gantz said, “I hope that President Trump will hurry and release his plan. Several weeks have passed. Many dramatic things are happening in the Middle East, and I’m looking forward to the plan’s release.”

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Netanyahu and Gantz – Reuters

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Blue and White (Israel Resilience Party)  leader MK Benny Gantz have both been invited to the White House to learn about the Trump Administration’s peace plan, Channel 12 News reported.

One source stated in reference to the invitation that “great political drama is on the way.”

The two leaders were invited to Washington next Tuesday, January 28, coinciding with the establishment of the Knesset committee to discuss immunity for the prime minister as well as the possible discussion of the application of Israeli law to the Jordan Valley.

At the same time, it was announced that the White House plans to publish a statement on the Middle East Peace Program in the coming days.

Source: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/275012

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu leads the weekly Cabinet meeting, at the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem, on Dec. 1, 2019. Photo by Marc Israel Sellem/POOL.

(December 24, 2019, / JNS) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu canceled a meeting of an inter-ministerial team that was deliberating the annexation of the Jordan Valley following the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) decision to launch a probe into alleged Israeli “war crimes” against the Palestinians, Ynet reported on Tuesday.

The meeting was supposed to take place over the past weekend but was canceled at the last minute after ICC Chief Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda announced the plans on Friday for the broad investigation against Israel, said sources quoted in the report.

Netanyahu had announced in September that he planned to establish sovereignty in the Jordan Valley if his Likud Party would win the elections. Netanyuah

“Because of the prosecutor’s decision in the Hague, the issue of the Jordan Valley annexation will be put on a long hold,” said one government source, according to Ynet.

Netanyahu on Sunday slammed International Criminal Court Chief Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda for announcing her organization’s intention to conduct a broad investigation of Israel for “war crimes,” calling the announcement “absurd” and accusing the ICC of having become a weapon in the hands of Israel’s enemies.

“While we are moving forward in new areas of hope and peace with our Arab neighbors, the ICC in The Hague has taken a step backward,” said Netanyahu.

Source: https://www.jns.org/report-netanyahu-puts-jordan-valley-annexation-on-hold/

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