PM to announce he accepts Trump’s Mideast peace plan as basis for talks with the PA, but in Knesset vote will only bring sovereignty plan.
ARUTZ SHEVA
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu is planning to separate his plan to apply sovereignty to parts of Judea and Samaria from his acceptance of the Trump administration’s Middle East peace plan, according to a report by Reshet Bet Wednesday morning.
The report claims that the Prime Minister has decided to bring his sovereignty plan to the Knesset plenum for a vote, but without the larger Mideast peace plan.
Netanyahu will publicly announce his support for the resumption of final status negotiations with the Palestinian Authority on the basis of the Trump administration’s Mideast peace plan, but with no explicit reference to Palestinian statehood or backing for the peace plan’s endorsement of the establishment of a Palestinian state.
In response to the report, the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement Wednesday that “The prime minister reiterates that he is committed to conducting negotiations on the basis of the Trump plan, and at the same time will continue with his sovereignty plan.”
Settlement leaders and other right-wing critics of the Trump peace plan have expressed concern Netanyahu’s plan to apply Israeli sovereignty to parts of Judea and Samaria could lead to Israel’s recognition of Palestinian statehood, or at least a formal pronouncement by Israel committing to back the establishment of a Palestinian state.
Leaders of the Yesha Council, which represents Israelis living in Judea and Samaria, met with Netanyahu Tuesday to discuss his plans to apply sovereignty, and the US peace plan.
During the gathering, Netanyahu told settlement leaders that Israel has a “historic opportunity to apply sovereignty over parts of Judea and Samaria,” while emphasizing his obligation under the Trump administration’s Middle East peace plan to conduct final status negotiations with the Palestinian Authority, should the PA drop its opposition to talks.
Samaria Regional Council chief Yossi Dagan, a member of the Yesha Council, said Wednesday morning on Reshet Bet that he remains concerned that Prime Minister Netanyahu’s bid to win US recognition of his sovereignty plan risked leading Israel down a path which would end in the establishment of a Palestinian state in most of Judea and Samaria.
“The support of the American government isn’t worth the risk of having a terrorist state established, or the abandonment of tens of thousands of residents in isolated towns to life-threatening dangers.”
@ Reader:
Indeed. It’s very suspicious.
@ Sebastien Zorn:
“Palestinian statehood is a separate issue” Then why does Netanyahu call it “the final status negotiations”? Why does he say that he accepts the Trump plan as a basis for negotiations?
The Trump plan offers Arabs “large parts of the Negev” and East Jerusalem as their new state’s capital.
Why is it even on the table?
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/281321
Asking the Knesset to vote on sovereignty without discussing the plan is like asking someone to buy a house but demanding a written commitment that you agree to buy it as a condition for getting to know where that house is located, its description, whether there are liens on it, etc.
AND you are told that the house is REALLY CHEAP, just go and GRAB IT!
“Netanyahu will publicly announce his support for the resumption of final status negotiations with the Palestinian Authority on the basis of the Trump administration’s Mideast peace plan, but with no explicit reference to Palestinian statehood or backing for the peace plan’s endorsement of the establishment of a Palestinian state.”
Perhaps the Yesha Council realizes now that sovereignty over the 30 % is real and leads to talks , not a PAL state. Talks for 27 or 53 years have not lead to a PAL state. Why should they now , when the PA intransigence is helping.
@ Sebastien Zorn:
Israel can apply sovereignty now and build in ALL the Jewish Towns in Judea/Samaria without the Defense Ministry being involved plus the Jordan Valley and North Dead Sea Area.
Much easier than otherwise. This is lots of land to build on. Need to build in E1 expanding Maalah Adumium, Gush Eztion, Ariel, Jordan Valley plus other places.
If someone wants to build a new settlement elsewhere in Judea/Samaria in say a year so it can be evaluated then. Especially it will be even more obvious that the Pals are not coming to the table.
In any case Israel needs to stop the PA and EU from creating facts on the ground, If they try the land should be seized and made a military zone.
@ Bear Klein:
You may be right! If Biden gets in, he will demand that Israel give up all of Judea and Samaria, anyway. As Caroline Glick said in a recent podcast, Israel has been negotiating on the basis of Oslo for 27 years. Now, it will be negotiating on the basis of the Trump plan. Nothing will have changed except most Jewish towns in Yesha will have Israeli civil law and will be much harder to relinquish. the IDF will continue to have full control of Area C, otherwise. There is no reason to agree to settlement freezes, either. All that needs to be done is to apply sovereignty, now. So, do it. Even if Trump is re-elected, now is the best time, because he can’t afford to alienate his Evangelical base who support Jewish sovereignty, Kushner, notwithstanding. Bibi has said Palestinian statehood is a separate issue and is not being negotiated at this time. Even if he’s lying, he doesn’t have the authority to permanently give up any part of Eretz Israel. Nobody does, or ever will, though the international goyim will never stop trying.
@ Ted Belman:
Sovereignty NOW YES! There will be no Pal State. Some of my friends on the Right are taking the “Trump Vision” out of context.
It requires the PA to agree to:
a Jewish Jerusalem,
Israeli Military Control of all of Judea & Samaria for perpetuity,
Agree to NO Right of return to Israel & limited in the PA to 10K for 6 years
Agree to demilitarize including Gaza
Form true democratic institutions with real civil rights
Implement all the above in 4 years
Agree to negotiate with Israel
All Agreements negotiated would be final resolution of the conflict.
Abbas, PLO, PA, Islamic Jihad, Fatah and Hamas have all rejected the Trump Plan or Vision. It is dead accept Israel gets to apply recognized sovereignty on all Jewish Towns in Judea & Samaria plus the Jordan Valley / North Dead Sea Area. Plus it changes the parameters from the Clinton plan of 67 borders as the starting point. It is imperative to implement sovereignty now!
This will be a great accomplishment once done. Is it perfect not even close. Way better than zero sovereignty in Judea/Samaria. It is a wonderful start.
Netanyahui’s wording is very important. The settlers need not worry. When Bibi says that he will conduct negotiations on the basis of the plan, this means that the size of the Palestinian entity is open for negotiations among other things.. After all the Plan is only a vision. When Israel demands to move the proposed border eastward to include the 15 settlemets, who is to say that this is not negotiating in good faith. In the meantime Israel will have extended its laws to the Jordan Valley and the settlements.
Also, accepting the borders as laid out is not a pre-condition but all the preconditions to statehood requiring all kinds of important requirements, is.