July 1 was the date set by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to begin implementing that part of US President Donald Trump’s Middle East proposal calling for Israeli annexations in the West Bank.
With international pressure, though, the day has come and gone.
Netanyahu is now quiet not only regarding the timing, but also the territorial extent of annexation. The Trump plan appears to allow for about 30% of the West Bank, which is roughly equal to the land taken up by settlements as well as the Jordan Valley, which Israel sees as militarily important.
Conquered in the 1967 war, this land is considered occupied by the prevailing international consensus.
Palestinians remain defiant, warning that the move might not only send the region into chaos, but risk the very existence of the fragile Palestinian Authority.
For a complete written report, click here [2].