NO FINAL DECISION AT TALKS ON WEST BANK ANNEXATION

Three days of White House meetings between aides to U.S. President Donald Trump on whether to give Israel a green light to annex parts of the occupied West Bank have ended without a final decision, senior officials in the U.S. said on Thursday.

The high-level discussions centred on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plan to extend Israeli sovereignty over Jewish settlements in the territory, which has drawn condemnation from the Palestinians, U.S. Arab allies and other foreign governments.

With Netanyahu’s cabinet due to begin formal annexation deliberations on Wednesday, the still-unclear U.S. position suggested the Trump administration wants to move cautiously.

“There is as yet no final decision on the next steps for implementing the Trump plan,” one of the officials told Reuters, referring to the president’s Israeli-palestinian peace blueprint that could provide a basis for Netanyahu’s annexation moves.

Under President Donald Trump’s peace proposal unveiled in January and met with widespread skepticism, the U.S. would recognize the settlements — built on land the Palestinians seek for a state — as part of Israel.

The proposal would create a Palestinian state but impose strict conditions. Palestinian leaders have dismissed the initiative.

Netanyahu hopes for U.S. approval for his project of extending sovereignty over settlements and the Jordan Valley. This week’s meetings included Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.