With the promised annexation, many right-wing Israelis see a dream come true. “We should have done this decades ago,” said settler Josh Hasten, spokesman for a cluster of settlements near Jerusalem. “I still have to ask permission from the army if I want to build something, even if it is a pergola. I will soon have exactly the same rules as other Israelis.”
However, it is not yet clear what exactly will happen from tomorrow. Netanyahu repeatedly promised in the past year to incorporate both Israeli settlements and the fertile Jordan Valley. In total, this concerns 30 percent of the occupied West Bank. And according to the coalition agreement that he concluded last month with his former rival Benny Gantz, he can take steps from tomorrow to keep that promise.
But today Netanyahu said he will be discussing the exact plans with the US government in the coming days. American support is a precondition for the prime minister. And with the highly pro-Israeli Donald Trump still in the White House, this summer seems like the right time to annex the area. If Trump loses elections in November, things will get a lot harder under a Democratic president.
Trump’s proposal
Earlier this year, Trump presented a peace proposal that would indeed allow Israel to add large swathes of occupied Palestinian territory to its territory in exchange for some compensation for the Palestinians.
Palestinian leaders immediately referred the plan to the trash. In response to the annexation plans, the Palestinian government is now threatening to end any cooperation with Israel. Hamas even called annexation “a declaration of war”. This militant group has power in the Gaza Strip, another Palestinian territory, and is viewed by Israel and the West as a terrorist organization.
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