Israel National News
The Trump administration is pressing Israel to make a ‘significant gesture’ towards the Palestinian Authority in exchange for Israel applying sovereignty over Judea and Samaria, Channel 12 News reported on Tuesday.
According to the report, US officials have proposed that Israel give land in exchange for land, in a manner that would allow Palestinian Arabs to build without restrictions or change the status of Area C (where Israel maintains security and civilian control) to that of Area B.
A government official said on Tuesday that “if the right knew what the Americans wanted in exchange for annexation, they would be less enthusiastic.”
While sovereignty over Judea and Samaria can officially be applied on Wednesday as stipulated in the coalition agreement between Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Benny Gantz, it is unclear if the move will indeed take place on Wednesday.
Netanyahu met on Tuesday with US Ambassador David Friedman and special Middle East envoy Avi Berkowitz. Following the meeting, the Prime Minister said, “I spoke with American Envoy Avi Berkowitz and Ambassador David Friedman on the issue of sovereignty. This is a matter which we are working on and which we will continue to work on in the coming days.”
On Monday, Netanyahu hinted to members of the Likud that the application of sovereignty over Judea and Samaria would not be implemented on July 1, explaining that it would be a complex move which requires many political and security considerations.