The Saudi government was instrumental in lobbying the Trump administration to pressure Israel to shelve legislation aimed at preserving Jerusalem’s Jewish majority by annexing surrounding towns in Judea and Samaria, a Saudi newspaper has claimed.
According to are report carried by Al-Watan, the US requested that Israel not push the law after Saudi officials demanded the Trump administration take action against the “Greater Jerusalem Law” proposed by Israeli Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz.
Under the original draft of the proposed law, 19 Jewish towns in Judea and Samaria would be annexed to the capital, adding some 150,000 Jews to Jerusalem’s population and extending Israeli sovereignty over the communities.
On Friday, a State Department spokeswoman declined to condemn the bill, saying it involved “internal matters I wouldn’t want to comment on.”
But on Saturday night, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, who had previously backed the bill, called for discussion on the proposal to be delayed.
On Sunday, Prime Minister Netanyahu explained his decision to delay discussion of the bill within the coalition, arguing that it was important to ‘coordinate’ major changes in Judea and Samaria with the Trump administration.
"We are in contact with the Americans; the Americans turned to us seeking to understand the essence of the Law. As we have cooperated with them so far, it is worthwhile talking with them and coordinating them. We are working to promote and develop settlement rather than to promote other considerations," Netanyahu said. READ MORE
