TOPLINE
Israel is still committed to annexing parts of the West Bank, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday, following its announcement earlier in the day that it would suspend its push for “sovereignty” in the region, where Palestinians also seek control.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a cabinet meeting of the new government at Chagall ... [+]
KEY FACTS
“I am still committed to annexing parts of the West Bank to Israel, but it can only happen in coordination with the U.S.,” Netanyahu said in a television appearance, according to Axios.
The initial news was part of an announcement in coordination with the U.S. that Israel and the United Arab Emirates would normalize relations between the two countries, something the Washington Post called a rare diplomatic win for President Trump as he trails in polls to former vice president Joe Biden.
According to Times of Israel, a senior Israeli official said, "The Trump Administration asked to temporarily suspend the announcement [of applying sovereignty] in order to first implement the historic peace agreement with the UAE.”
Jared Kushner, the president's son-in-law and advisor, characterized the deal differently during Thursday's White House briefing, saying, "President Trump was able to get Israel to agree to have a two-state solution with the Palestinians, and for the first time in history, to agree to a map that outlined the territory that they would be willing to work with in order to see that happen."
UAE Foreign Minister Anwar Gargash claimed the deal would not harm Palestinians' hopes to control the West Bank region and that, “Freezing Israeli annexation will be a revival of the peace process,” according to Times of Israel.
Palestinian official Hanan Ashrawi wrote on Twitter,“Israel got rewarded for not declaring openly what it's been doing to Palestine illegally & persistently since the beginning of the occupation. The UAE has come out in the open on its secret dealings/normalization with Israel. Please don’t do us a favor. We are nobody's fig leaf!”
Chief Critic
“We won’t be fooled by another Trump/Netanyahu deal,” Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) wrote on Twitter. “We won’t celebrate Netanyahu for not stealing land he already controls in exchange for a sweetheart business deal. The heart of the issue has never been planned, formal annexation, but ongoing, devastating apartheid. The focus needs to be on promoting solidarity between Palestinians & Israelis who are joining together in struggle to end an apartheid system. We must stand with the people. This Trump/Netanyahu deal will not alleviate Palestinian suffering—it will further normalize it.”
Key Background
In an Oval Office address on Thursday, Trump announced that, “After 49 years, Israel and the United Arab Emirates will fully normalize their diplomatic relations. . . . They will exchange embassies and ambassadors and begin cooperation across the board and on a broad range of areas including tourism, education, healthcare, trade and security.” Netanyahu moved to build settlements in the West Bank after embracing a Trump proposal that would allow him to annex parts of the region.
