‘You’ve been knifed in the back,’ settlers tell Israeli PM

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU is under intense pressure from Israeli settlers to begin annexing parts of the occupied West Bank, despite the White House ordering him to delay the process.

The Israeli prime minister promised to move forward immediately after the release of Donald Trump’s controversial Middle East plan last week. But Jared Kushner, Mr Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser, has told him to wait until after Israel’s election in March.

The delay has led to anger among some settler leaders and Right-wing politicians. A tent has been set up outside Mr Netanyahu’s Jerusalem office with the banner “Sovereignty Now!”

“We are asking him to hurry up in applying Israeli sovereignty to Judea and Samaria [the West Bank],” said Shy

Rosenzweig, mayor of the Alfei Menashe settlement of 10,000 people. “The time to do it is now.”

The settlers fear that Mr Netanyahu may lose the election to his centrist rival Benny Gantz, who might call the annexation off because of opposition from Europe and some Arab states.

Mr Netanyahu has met settler leaders to tell them that it is worth being patient to remain on good terms with Mr Kushner and the White House.

David Elhayani, chairman of the Jordan Valley regional council settlement group, was among those who most strongly criticised the decision to wait.

“Kushner took a knife and put it in your back,” he told Mr Netanyahu.

The Palestinians have rejected Mr Trump’s plan, while Britain and the EU have warned Israel not to move ahead with unilateral annexation.