Gantz to tell White House envoy that sovereignty should be part of a broad diplomatic agreement and creation of Palestinian state
The Defense Minister will tell the White House envoy that applying sovereignty should be part of a broad diplomatic agreement in accordance with principles laid down in the ‘Deal of the Century’ and creation of a Palestinian state.
The Jordanian government has also indicated via different diplomatic channels that it will strongly oppose the application of limited sovereignty in Judea and Samaria, viewing it the same way it would a broad annexation.
Barak Ravid, the political commentator for Channel 13 News, reported that Jordan’s King Abdullah II delivered the message during a meeting with Mossad chief Yossi Cohen last week, telling Cohen that Jordan’s stance on limited sovereignty applied to settlement blocs or a limited amount of Jewish communities would be the same as general annexation.
The Jordanians have gone out of their way to clarify their position vis-à-vis Israeli annexation of any part of Judea and Samaria clear to the US and the EU to avoid ambiguity on the issue.
Meanwhile, White House envoy to the Middle East, Avi Berkowitz, arrived in Israel last Friday to discuss details of the Trump plan with senior Israeli leaders.
Channel 13 News, reported that Berkowitz met Prime Minister Netanyahu Saturday evening with and held discussions with Director-General of the Prime Minister office Ronen Peretz’s and Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) Major General Kamil Abu Rukun.
Berkowitz is scheduled to meet Defense Minister Benny Gantz tomorrow (Monday). Gantz is expected to tell Berkowitz that any annexation should take place within the confines of a broader political process and in line with the principles of the Trump plan including the creation of a Palestinian state – not a unilateral move detached from political understandings.
Contacts with the Americans are expected to continue, with no major decision coming this week regarding the application of Israeli law in Judea and Samaria.
On Wednesday, July 1, Netanyahu is likely to indicate his intentions with regards to the move, but negotiations with the Americans are likely to continue well into the coming months.
(Arutz 7).