US cools on annexation after Jordan warns of massive confrontation

The US underscored the importance of Palestinian participation in its peace process in the aftermath of strong warnings from Jordan’s King Abdullah II about the harmful impact of any Israeli annexation attempts, particularly in the Jordan Valley.

“We really think annexation should be part of a peace process where Palestinians should have a say,” US State Department

Spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said in a briefing with Israeli journalists on Friday.

She clarified that the application of sovereignty to West Bank settlements should be executed within the context of Israel and Palestinians working together towards fulfilling US President Donald Trump’s peace plan.

During US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s visit to Israel this week, he reiterated that “annexation is up to Israel,” Ortagus said, adding that “we think these discussions should be part of the peace process, part of discussions between the Israelis and the Palestinians.”

Ortagus spoke with reporters after the publication of an interview with King Abdullah

II of Jordan in the German newspaper Der Spiegel in which the latter warned that Israeli annexation of the Jordan Valley would lead to a “massive confrontation” with his country.

When asked if annexation will lead to the cessation of the 1994 Israel-Jordan peace treaty – a cornerstone of regional and Israeli security – Abdullah said he doesn’t “want to make threats and create an atmosphere of controversy, but we’re considering every option.”

Ortagus told reporters that

“the US is aware of Jordanian opposition to the plan and hopes that it will come to the table to discuss it.

“What we want for both Israel and Jordan is a relationship that’s not only strong on the security level, but also strong on diplomatic and economic level,” she added.

The Trump administration has sent mixed messages about the conditions for Israel to go forward with annexation.

US Ambassador David Friedman said in an interview to

The Jerusalem Post last week that Israel could proceed with annexation as long as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shows he is open and committed to talks with the Palestinians.

He did not say the Palestinians would have to agree, stating: “If the Palestinians refuse to show up, I’m not sure what else the prime minister can do. But I think there ought to be an unequivocal communication to the Palestinians that they are invited to negotiate in good faith on the president’s vision.”

The Trump administration’s “Vision for Peace” plan would allow Israel to apply its laws to all settlements and the Jordan Valley, comprising 30% of the West Bank, and for a Palestinian state to be established in the other 70% under certain conditions, such as stopping incitement and granting its citizens civil rights. If the conditions are met, the Palestinians would also receive a massive economic

aid package.

Ortagus pointed out that the joint US-Israel committee to map out those borders, led by Friedman, is ongoing.

The coalition agreement between Likud and Blue and White, for the government expected to be sworn in on Sunday, states that Netanyahu could bring annexation to a vote on July 1 at the earliest.

Asked about the Palestinian leadership’s continuing refusal to engage with the Trump plan, Ortagus said the plan is “one of the most comprehensive things the US has ever worked on, and the Palestinians said this publicly, but we’ll continue to push for this vision for peace.

“We have by no means given up hope,” she added. “This will continue to be a major part of our foreign policy... We will press for the Palestinians to come to the table as part of this peace plan.”

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