Senior Likud minister: US approval needed for West Bank annexation
He clarified that it was the United States and not Alternative Prime Minister and Defense Minister Benny Gantz whose opinion was critical.
By TOVAH LAZAROFFZe'ev Elkin(photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM/THE JERUSALEM POST)
United States approval is needed for the application of sovereignty to portions of the West Bank, senior Likud minister Ze’ev Elkin told KAN Radio on Wednesday morning, with just a week left to go until the earliest date possible for such a move.“According to the coalition agreement [between Likud and Blue and White] we can advance sovereignty on condition that we have the approval of the United States,” Elkin said.He clarified that it was the United States and not Alternative Prime Minister and Defense Minister Benny Gantz whose opinion was critical.“If we have that [US] approval then we can continue with or without the approval of Gantz. He can vote against it. The coalition agreement is very clear here. But it could be that it would be easier to receive US agreement with Gantz approval,” Elkin said.“I think that we have to do everything to be able to apply sovereignty,” he said.“I don’t know what the final American position will be. I am not even certain the Americans have figured out what their final position is. They are debating this. There is an ongoing dialogue about this between us. I hope that as a result of this dialogue we will be able to optimize this historic opportunity and not miss it,” he said.Elkin emphatically rejected any possibility of Israel acting on its own with regard to annexation.“If the US says “no” [to sovereignty], to my sorrow, the coalition agreement restricts us here. We respect our agreements, so won’t be able to advance sovereignty,” said Elkin.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is under pressure from politicians to his right, including leading voice in the Yesha Council, to apply sovereignty irrespective of US President Donald Trump’s position on the matter. They have also asked Netanyahu to do so outside the context of the Trump plan with its sovereignty map that allows Israel to annex 30% of the West Bank.Elkin said that under the terms of the coalition agreement this was not possible. He added that Blue and White had wanted to add text into the coalition agreement that would also require the approval of the Europeans and the Arab countries, he said. But the Liked only agreed to enter the issue of US approval into the agreement, he said.
He spoke as US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman is in Washington to discuss the final annexation map with the Trump administration.Gantz’s opposition to the annexation of all West Bank settlements has generated debate about the possibility of a partial or phased annexation that would involve the settlements blocs.Annexation “will have a long-term effect on Israel’s security,” and therefore, the “complicated” plans must be done responsibly, Gantz said.“We need the State of Israel to be safe, Jewish and democratic, as well as prosperous financially, and these plans should translate into practical concepts as what to do or what not to do,” he told reporters.“We won’t get into Palestinian deep sh**,” Gantz said. “The Palestinians continue to reject dialogue and to remain in their deep sh**.”Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan on Wednesday called the idea of a partial annexation, “Israebluff,” and wanted against it. He called on Prime Minster Benjamin Netanyahu to ignore Trump’s sovereignty map, which has warned create conditions that lead to a building freeze and the destruction of 15 settlements.Failure to apply full sovereignty, Dagan warned, would destroy the national camp. “At a historical moment like one, leaders like Netanyahu need to make historic decisions,” he said.Efrat Council head Oded Revivi, in contrast, has taken the exact opposite position. He has urged Netanyahu to adopt a Trump’s plan and if necessary to do it in stages.“Don’t be intimidated by the national camp. It is big and strong, and according to the polls, it also seeks to adopt the Vision for Peace. There are a few lone voices who are a threat to the advancement of our national goals and who endanger all that we stand to achieve,” Revivi said."We welcome the application of Israeli law on every house, every street, and every settlement. It will not pose a threat to the national camp. On the contrary, it will provide hope that we will one day be able to apply Israeli law even further. The time has come to take what is being offered, and not to let this opportunity pass us by again and again. We say ‘yes’ to the plan. ‘Yes’ on behalf of the settlements, and ‘yes’ out of responsibility for the unity of Israel,” he said.The left-wing NGO Peace Now has appealed to Gantz to oppose the plan, noting that it is pointless to cave to the settlers for “a few extra meters of land.”It's not enough that there is a “coronavirus” crisis, Peace Now stated. On top of that, this government has to choose this moment “to ignite the Middle East,” Peace Now said.
