The decision on the issue of the potential seizure of several territories of the West Bank should be taken by Israel itself. This opinion was expressed by US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo in an interview with the Israeli Kahn radio station.
It is about the implementation of the proposed plans of the new coalition government of Israel. In January, US President Donald Trump, along with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, announced in Washington the key provisions of a Palestinian-Israeli peace plan, declaring, in particular, the intention of the US authorities to recognize Jewish settlements as Israeli territory. On April 22, Pompeo already stated that the final decision on this issue rests with Israel.
“A few months ago, we set out a plan for a Palestinian-Israeli peace settlement. Both Prime Minister Netanyahu and Speaker of Parliament Beni Ganz accepted the plan and agreed to negotiate with the Palestinians based on it. They still believe that this plan is thoughtful and pragmatic, and also constitutes the basis for moving forward. The Israeli government will decide on annexation: whether to do it, how to do it, and also on the time frame for this annexation, ” said Pompeo.
He assured that the new government of the Jewish state would deliberately approach this issue.
“I’m sure that the Israeli government will make informed decisions about how to move forward on the issue of annexation, and more broadly – how to move forward to try to get to the point where we will ultimately solve this long-standing problem between Israel and the Palestinian people. I hope that the Palestinians and the Palestinian leadership will also understand that the plan is the best for their people, ”concluded the head of the US Foreign Ministry.