Israeli Envoy to US Lobbying for Swift West Bank Annexations
Israel’s ambassador to the United States, Ron Dermer, has reportedly been lobbying Trump Administration officials and members of Congress to back the Jewish state’s swift annexation of about 30% of the West Bank in accordance with the White House’s Middle East peace plan. “We must advance annexation now because we don’t know what will happen in the US presidential elections [in November],” Israeli media, citing numerous sources, quoted Dermer as saying. “[Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe] Biden could win,” he reportedly told heavy hitters during closed-door meetings in Washington. The apparent diplomatic full-court press comes after Biden’s senior foreign policy adviser last month made clear that his boss opposed the prospective application of Israeli sovereignty over Palestinian-claimed territories. It also comes amid reports of disagreements within the US administration on whether to greenlight the move as early as July, when Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has vowed to push ahead with the initiative. The alleged hesitation in Washington follows reported warnings by Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates that any Israeli annexations could destabilize the region. There have also been reports that Blue and White party leaders Benny Gantz and Gabi Ashkenazi, who have assumed the roles of defense minister and foreign minister, respectively, expressed opposition to the plan in talks last week with visiting US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.