Netanyahu approves Jordan valley annexation bill
Mona Kandil
Press TV, Ramallah
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu approved a bill to annex the Jordan Valley in the West Bank, an area considered as the breadbasket of a Palestinian state.
The announcement comes only one day after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo declared that his country does not consider Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank as violation of international law.
Netanyahu said the US decision gives the Israelis once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to annex the Jordan Valley. Netanyahu says the move would be taken if a coalition is formed. He is unable to secure a parliamentary majority right now.
Observers say he has to wait to see if his chief rival, Benny Gantz, head of the centrist Blue and White party, can put together a coalition. On Tuesday, Netanyahu called on his political rivals with whom he is currently in coalition talks, to form a unity cabinet and make annexing the Jordan valley its first priority.
The move, if taken, Palestinians say would swallow up more than a quarter of the West Bank in addition to leaving them with little more than isolated enclaves.
Palestinians warn that Israel, by annexing the Jordan Valley will seize the land that’s vital to the components of their future state.
Israel sees the area as a security asset that provides what it calls a buffer zone against potential attacks. However, observers believe what Israel says is just an excuse to take more Palestinian land.
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