Trump May Determine Israel’s Annexation Schedule
The question is whether Netanyahu will want to spare the president a fresh headache ahead of the November election.
Can Trump restrain Netanyahu?
Photographer: Mandel Ngan/AFP
Israel’s new coalition government seems to be contemplating massive annexations of occupied Palestinian territories in the coming weeks. The person dictating the timetable may not be an Israeli at all, but President Donald Trump.
Article 29 of the national unity government agreement between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party and Benny Gantz’s Blue and White coalition explicitly opens the door to annexations. Trump’s so-called “Peace to Prosperity” proposal announced on Jan 28 gave Israel license to permanently appropriate all existing settlements in the West Bank, plus the strategically crucial Jordan Valley. This would completely encircle any potential Palestinian entity within a greater Israeli state.