Gantz weighing limited West Bank settlement annexation – report

The subject of annexation has been one of the sticking points in the ongoing negotiations between the Blue and White leader and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the formation of a government.

APRIL 5, 2020 13:12

Blue and White leader Benny Gantz (photo credit: CORINNA KERN/REUTERS) — Blue and White leader Benny Gantz

(photo credit: CORINNA KERN/REUTERS)

Blue and White Party head Benny Gantz would consider a limited plan to apply Israeli sovereignty in the West Bank that focused on the settlement blocs, Channel 13 reported on Saturday night.

But Gantz would only do so as part of a dialogue with the international community with an eye toward not taking any steps that would close the door on negotiations with the Palestinians.

The international community holds that any two-state solution must be based on the pre-1967 lines and does not take the settlement blocs into consideration.

The subject of annexation has been one of the sticking points in the ongoing negotiations between Gantz and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the formation of a government.

Netanyahu wants to annex the Jordan Valley, the northern Dead Sea region and all the West Bank settlements in Area C, irrespective of where they are located. During the elections he promised the voters he would annex the settlements after a new government was formed and upon completion of a joint US-Israeli mapping process.

Gantz has zigzagged on this topic, initially opposing any unilateral steps outside of negotiations. He then appearing to back-track on the matter when US President Donald Trump unveiled a peace plan that allowed for the unilateral application of sovereignty over the 30% of the West Bank in Area C. The annexation of all West Bank settlements, including the Jordan Valley and the northern Dead Sea region is included in that 30%.

During the negotiations, Gantz has opposed unilateral annexation. Now, according to Channel 13, he would consider a sovereignty plan that would focus on areas of the West Bank where there is a high concentration of settlers, known as the blocs.

Gantz has also asked Netanyahu to take annexation off the table for four to six months and not to take any action without a Defense Ministry assessment from security experts, according to Channel 13. It added that Gantz would also consider a small symbolic annexation of either the West Bank settlement of Ma’aleh Adumim or the Gush Etzion bloc.

Netanyahu is under pressure from right-wing politicians, both within and outside of his party, to annex all the settlements now.

Supporters of the application of sovereignty fear that if Israel doesn’t move on the matter prior to the US elections in November, it might lose its window of opportunity.

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MK Ayelet Shaked (Yamina) said last week that any right-wing government that failed to apply sovereignty must cease to exist.