Affiliation: The Times of Israel
Author: Jacob Magid
Organization/Publisher: The Times of Israel
Date/Place: May 24, 2020/ Jerusalem
Type of Literature: Policy Analysis
Word Count: 9502
Keywords: Israel, West Bank, Washington, Settlers, Annexation
Brief:
This article provides details on the Israeli annexation plan for the West Bank, especially the visit of five Israeli settler leaders granted an invitation to join Netanyahu during his Washington, DC visit on January 26. However, one of the Israeli leaders gave a statement to the media, which caused a decline in the official meeting between the Israelis and the Americans. Frustration of the settler delegation intensified as they were all being pressed to issue a statement in support of the deal, which they had yet to see in full. One of the settlements’ mayors Oded Revivi stated that White House officials told the settler leaders they “were lucky [they] weren’t being kicked out of the country.” The author shows that after almost four months of this crisis that was made by one of the Israeli settlers, it has become ambiguous whether such a unilateral Israeli move will be realised on the ground, despite the fact that the White House insisted in recent times that a decision to advance the annexation had to be made.
By: Fadi Zatari, CIGA Senior Research Associate