Israeli Minister of Defense Benny Gantz on Monday urged the military to hasten preparations for the country’s planned annexation of parts of the occupied West Bank, in apparent anticipation of what could be fierce Palestinian protests against the move.
The statement came as local media reported that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussed annexation on Monday in a telephone call with Jared Kushner, US President Donald Trump’s senior adviser and son-in-law, who stands behind a White House Middle East plan that largely favors Israel.
In a statement sent by his office, Gantz appeared to command the military to prepare for the fallout from annexation, asking the military chief of staff to “speed up the [military’s] preparedness ahead of political steps on the agenda in the Palestinian sphere.”
Gantz also serves as “alternate” Israeli prime minister until he is expected to replace Netanyahu late next year, under a power-sharing agreement that ended more than a year of political turmoil.
Beyond the protests that an annexation could spark, the move also risks unraveling burgeoning Israeli ties with Gulf Arab states.
One of those countries, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), called on Israel to halt its plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank — joining a long list of Arab nations that have condemned the expected Israeli move.
Emirati Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash said on Twitter that annexing lands sought by the Palestinians would harm the chances for regional peace.
“Any unilateral Israeli move will be a serious setback for the peace process,” he wrote.
Annexation would “constitute a rejection of the international & Arab consensus towards stability & peace,” he added.
Netanyahu has announced that he would annex parts of the West Bank, including the strategic Jordan Valley and dozens of Jewish settlements, in line with Trump’s Middle East plan.
He has signaled he would begin moving forward with annexation next month.
The US plan envisions leaving about one-third of the West Bank, which Israel captured in 1967, under permanent Israeli control, while granting the Palestinians expanded autonomy in the remainder of the territory.
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