WHAT MESSAGE WILL POMPEO GIVE NETANYAHU ON ANNEXATION?
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will travel to Israel on Wednesday for a one-day visit, 24 hours before a new twin-headed government is sworn in, ending more than a year of political impasse that produced three inconclusive elections. The timing and nature of the visit are indicative. In addition to meeting with incumbent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his partner/rival Benny Gantz, Pompeo, it is now believed, will deliver an important message regarding the possible annexation of parts of the West Bank and Jordan Valley.
That message, this writer has learned from multiple sources, calls for caution and the postponement of this controversial move. While Pompeo will reiterate his administration’s staunch support for Israel, he will also stress the need to avoid unilateral steps at this juncture. Whether or not this position will be made public remains to be seen. Pompeo will address the fact that Donald Trump’s Middle East peace vision, revealed in January, should be dealt with as a complete package.
This would be the first time that a clear position on annexation has been made by the Trump administration. Last month, Pompeo said that annexation was a decision to be taken by Israel alone, and that his administration would deliver its position privately to the Israeli government. That ambiguous statement was interpreted as giving a green light to the new Israeli government to decide when and how to proceed with possible annexation. Then, US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman made a number of contradictory statements on the subject. While he publicly supported a unilateral move on the issue, he was reported to have told Israeli officials that the Trump administration considers its vision to be a peace plan and not an annexation plan. One unnamed senior US official was also quoted by Axios as having said that annexation is only part of the plan and that it should be accompanied by recognition of a Palestinian state through negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians.
Netanyahu’s deal with Gantz gives him the right to submit an annexation proposal to the government and/or the Knesset as early as July. Despite Gantz’s Blue and White alliance’s reservations regarding that move, Netanyahu’s proposal is expected to pass without much objection from lawmakers.
But it is important to note that the Israeli public remains divided over the issue. Retired security and army officials have warned
Netanyahu that annexation would jeopardize Israel’s national security. Israeli pundits, as well as a number of US Jewish organizations, have also warned that annexation would end Israeli democracy while turning the country into an apartheid state.
Arab states have rejected Trump’s peace plan and, along with the EU, the UN, Russia and China, maintained that the two-state solution remains the only path to a just and lasting peace between Israel and the Palestinians. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has appealed to Trump to review his position, but refused to resume contacts with the White House, which were terminated when the US recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
But, last week, this writer has learned, the Palestinian Authority (PA) sent what was described as a “white paper” to the
US, in addition to the Middle East Quartet, outlining its position, as well as its principles, on reaching a peace settlement with Israel. The unsigned two-page letter was written by chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat and is believed to be the first official contact between the PA and the White House in more than two years. Sources tell me that the White House considered the move to be a goodwill gesture.
Coinciding with these events, this writer has learned that Jordan, one of the most vocal critics of annexation, has delivered a message to the UN Security Council that annexation of the Jordan Valley would be treated as a violation of the Jordan-Israel peace treaty. Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi made it clear that annexation would violate the delineation of borders between Jordan and Israel as stipulated in the treaty. His argument has not been made public to date.
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia’s Cabinet last week stressed that the Palestinian cause remains a “central issue” for Arabs and Muslims, while referencing the results of the emergency meeting of Arab League foreign ministers that condemned Israel’s plans to annex Palestinian land.
The White House is aware that the unilateral annexation of West Bank territory will only complicate matters and will fail to end the conflict. Renewed contacts between the Palestinians and the US at this juncture are of paramount importance. Efforts must be made to foil Netanyahu’s attempt to destroy the two-state solution and prolong the region’s most challenging conflict. The US is the only power that can stop Netanyahu from taking this dangerous step.