US official blasts settler leader for lie that harms Israel, Jewish people
The understanding had been that Israel could expand its hold on the 70%, should the Palestinians fail to come to the negotiating table within a four year period.
By TOVAH LAZAROFFThe basic error is to treat all the settlements alike(photo credit: AMMAR AWAD / REUTERS)
A senior US official slammed Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan on Thursday night, strongly denying his claim that the Trump administration had told Israel that once sovereignty was applied over portions of the West Bank, Israel would need to waive its right to the rest of that territory, including in Area C, which is now under Israeli rule, The claim by Dagan - which was put out in a statement to the press - was without attribution and when his office was asked where he knew this from, he refused to say, raising serious questions about its veracity.Either way, the US official blasted Dagan. "This is a complete lie and whoever is spreading it is doing great damage to Israel, the US and the Jewish people," the official said.Dagan, like many in the leadership of the Yesha Council, is in the midst of a campaign against Trump’s sovereignty map, which offers Israel 30% of the West Bank in Area C.This is territory that covers all the Israeli settlements. To receive US support for the move, Israel must agree to apply that sovereignty within the context of a four year peace plan toward the creation of demilitarized Palestinian state on the remainder of the 70%.The understanding had been that Israel could expand its hold on the 70%, should the Palestinians fail to come to the negotiating table within a four year period.Supporters of the plan, who otherwise oppose a Palestinian state, have argued that Israel should move forward with the Trump plan because any efforts to include the Palestinians would end in failure and a Palestinian state would never come into being.In his claim though, Dagan argued that the US is now backing away from that understanding and that Israel would stand to lose the rest of Area C in any scenario.Area C, which is now under Israeli military and civilian rule, makes up 60% of the West Bank.Dagan called on Netanyahu to immediately apply sovereignty on portions of the West Bank, with or without US support.
