JERUSALEM (JTA) — The United States is ready to recognize Israeli sovereignty over the Jordan Valley and other parts of the West Bank with conditions, the U.S. ambassador to Israel told an Israel newspaper.
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In an interview with the Israel Hayom daily, David Friedman said Israel must freeze building in other parts of the West Bank and prepare to reenter peace negotiations with the Palestinians on the basis of the Trump peace plan.
The plan requires the Israeli prime minister to agree to negotiate with the Palestinians “in good faith” for four years, which Benjamin Netanyahu has already agreed to. Friedman noted in the interview that the Palestinians have rejected the deal, which also mandates a settlement building freeze on the 70 percent of the West Bank that would make up a future Palestinian state.
Israel’s new government coalition agreement allows annexation of some parts of the West Bank beginning from July 1.
Excerpts of the interview with Friedman, conducted to mark the second anniversary of the U.S. Embassy’s move to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv, were published Wednesday. The full interview is scheduled to be published Friday.
Israel Hayom, which is owned by philanthropists Sheldon and Miriam Adelson, is seen as being an advocate for Netanyahu. The Adelsons, major givers to Republican candidates, have backed Donald Trump and said they will do so in the 2020 presidential election.
Friedman said the United States would not impose any new conditions not found in the Trump administration’s peace plan, which was rolled out in January. He said the U.S. will be ready to recognize Israeli sovereignty following its declaration by Israel and its government agrees to stipulations of the plan.
Freeze building? Sounds like Jimmy Carter or Clinton. Bush and Obama never forced Israel to stop building. He needed a Jewish Ambassador to do this dirty job.
No need to annex anything. It is already ours for 55 years and iy”h forever. Trump is taking us back to the Clinton era. Stop building ? That’s not why I voted for him.
What are you guys talking about. Obama froze all building in Israel. You guys forgot for ten months.
This freeze is really a gimmick. Israel will annex and the Arabs will not agree at all to any peace plan. Don’t you see how clever this is. You promise the Arabs a state but first your annexing land they would never give up. It’s highly creative.
Arabs will reject, Israel will annex. The Arab states are slowly supporting Israel.
Trump knows what he’s doing, calm down.
No Israeli government has ever really been able to stop the endless construction. All in all, Israel ought to just annex the whole thing and register everyone in the West Bank for voting and military service.
It’s very simple.
All the Israeli government needs to do is give every Chareidi a half acre of land free providing he builds a home within 8 months. Once you move in hundreds of thousands of Jews it will be facts on the ground. It’s not a big deal.