Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz said on Monday he ordered the military to step up preparations for Israel’s pending annexation of parts of the West Bank, a plan that could stoke Palestinian violence.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has pledged to begin cabinet discussions on July 1 on extending Israeli sovereignty to Jewish settlements and the Jordan Valley in the West Bank, occupied territory that Palestinians seek for a state.
Gantz’s directive appeared to indicate that the centrist politician had either signed on to the move or at least believed it would be inevitable, given right-wing support in the Netanyahu-led coalition cabinet.
#UN Warns of New Political Crisis if #Annexation Plans Go Ahead https://t.co/AffRAfkWFl via @PalestineChron pic.twitter.com/D4vbcQSkqp
— @palestinechron (@PalestineChron) June 1, 2020
In public remarks to legislators of his centrist Blue and White party, Gantz noted a recent uptick in anti-Israeli violence in the West Bank and the Palestinians’ declaration last month that they were ending security cooperation with Israel over the annexation issue.
He said he had subsequently ordered the chief of staff, Lieutenant-General Aviv Kochavi, to “examine all the ramifications and the required preparations” stemming from moving ahead with the peace plan US President Donald Trump announced in January, a blueprint that could ease annexation.
In a separate written statement, Gantz said “preparations by the Israel Defence Forces should be stepped up ahead of pending diplomatic moves regarding the Palestinians”.
The #Palestine Chronicle Examines #Israeli Media Response to #Abbas’s Decision to Cancel All Agreements https://t.co/qqW2xqQ9I3 via @PalestineChron pic.twitter.com/jyjuam9jiO
— @palestinechron (@PalestineChron) June 2, 2020
On Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu renewed his pledge to annex part of the occupied Palestinian West Bank in July.
Palestinians have expressed outrage, appealing to the international community to block the Israeli step, which, if implemented, would be considered the final nail in the two-state solution’s coffin.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas announced on May 19 that the PA is canceling all agreements with Israel and the US, as a direct response to Israel’s annexation plans.
(Palestine Chronicle, MEMO, Social Media)
