Netanyahu: Israel may pursue annexation in stages amid lack of coalition consensus

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the regime may annex parts of the occupied Palestinian territory on a step-by-step basis rather than in a single phase, amid disagreements with his coalition partners over the controversial land grab scheme.

Israel’s Channel 13 TV quoted Netanyahu as telling a group of visiting army officers in the reserves on Monday that he had not reached an agreement with ministers of military and foreign affairs Benny Gantz and Gabi Ashkenazi on the annexation plan.

“It’s possible that annexation won’t happen in one round but rather will be implemented in stages,” he said. “The US is demanding the agreement of Gantz and Ashkenazi.”

Meanwhile, a statement from Netanyahu’s office said the premier touted what he called the “historic opportunity” to impose Israeli “sovereignty” over  settlements and the Jordan Valley — some 30 percent of the West Bank.

“Netanyahu said the conversation was now about how to carry out the move, and he emphasized that it depends on internal negotiations in the government” between Likud and Blue and White political parties, according to an unidentified source present at the meeting.

Moreover, Haaretz newspaper reported that Netanyahu had suggested that a lack of coalition consensus could will also cause the annexation move to be pushed past July 1.

“I wanted to bring annexation for approval soon, but the map still isn’t complete,” the Israeli prime minister was quoted as saying during a Likud faction meeting.

Separately, Gantz voiced support for US President Donald Trump’s self-proclaimed “deal of the century,” which is widely viewed as Washington's green light to Tel Aviv to push ahead with it annexation plot.

“It is an important plan that presents a realistic attitude of the way a stable future in the region can be built, and I plan to promote it as much as I can in the most responsible way,” he said in a speech to the American Jewish Committee’s Virtual Global Forum.

Gantz also urged the regime “to work based on the plan in coordination with regional partners... with a consensus in Israeli society and in coordination and full acceptance of the US.”

Jordan king snubs Netanyahu call

In another development on Monday, Jordan’s King Abdullah reportedly refused to take phone calls from Netanyahu to discuss Israel’s illegal push for consolidating its occupation.

Citing a Jordanian official, the Palestinian Ma’an news agency reported that Amman is also refusing to set a date for a meeting with Gantz to exchange views on the annexation plan and Trump’s Middle East plan.

Jordan threatens to review relations with Israel over West Bank annexation plans

Jordan threatens to review its relationship with Israel if the Tel Aviv regime goes ahead with controversial plans to annex parts of the occupied West Bank.

Last month, Prime Minister Omar Razzaz warned that Jordan was ready to revisit its agreement with Israel if the regime decided to extend its “sovereignty” over the occupied West Bank.

EX-US Mideast envoy backs Israel

On Sunday, Former US Middle East envoy Jason Greenblatt, who was one of the architects of Trump’s “deal of the century,” claimed that Israel has every right to apply its “sovereignty” in the West Bank.

In an opinion piece published in the Jerusalem Post newspaper, Jason Greenblatt further claimed that the territory Israel planned to annex did not belong to the Palestinians.

“It is not Palestinian land. It is land that is disputed, and the only way to resolve this is if the two sides can negotiate a settlement of the dispute directly together. But that has proven to be elusive. This is one of the main reasons we drafted the vision for peace in the manner that we did,” the former envoy wrote.

Israel occupied the West Bank and East Jerusalem al-Quds during the Six-Day War in 1967. It later annexed East Jerusalem al-Quds in a move not recognized by the international community.

US House Democrats set to issue warning to Israel

Meanwhile, Four Democrats in the US House of Representatives are circulating a letter among their colleagues that would warn senior Israeli officials of the perils of annexation. 

“Unilateral annexation would likely jeopardize Israel’s significant progress on normalization with Arab states at a time when closer cooperation can contribute to countering shared threats. Unilateral annexation risks insecurity in Jordan, with serious ancillary risks to Israel,” reads the letter.

“Finally, unilateral annexation could create serious problems for Israel with its European friends and other partners around the world. We do not see how any of these acute risks serve the long-term interest of a strong, secure Israel,” it added.

Hamas pledges to spare no efforts to stop annexation

The Gaza-based Hamas resistance movement said it will try by all means to counter the Israeli annexation of the West Bank and Jordan Valley.

Husam Badran, a member of Hamas’s political bureau, said the Tel Aviv regime is not “invincible,” adding, “We have already defeated it on many occasions.”

“The Palestinian people have the final word and the exclusive right to determine their options in resisting the occupation. They are qualified enough to thwart the annexation, and they can be bet on,” he stressed.

New Gaza exchanges

The remarks came on the same day that resistance fighters in Gaza fired a rocket into the occupied territories, triggering sirens in the fields near the Eshkol region.

Israeli army tanks and aircraft also launched attacks on southern Gaza.

According to the Israeli military, its aircraft bombed alleged Hamas “underground infrastructure” near the city of Khan Yunis while its tanks targeted a number of observation posts east of the city of Rafah.

There were no reports on possible casualties. 

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