WASHINGTON — Senior White House official Jared Kushner said Monday that US President Donald Trump would not allow Israel to reverse its pledge to hold off on annexing West Bank territory in exchange for normalizing ties with the United Arab Emirates.
“President Trump is committed to holding them accountable to it, and Israel has agreed with us that they will not move forward without our consent,” Kushner told reporters during a briefing. “We do not plan to give our consent for some time, as right now the focus has to be on getting this new peace agreement implemented.”
Settler leaders and right-wing legislators have heavily criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for putting aside his annexation proposal as part of the UAE deal.
Netanyahu, however, declared shortly after the announcement that he was not abandoning his annexation plans for the West Bank.
“There is no change to our plans to apply sovereignty over Judea and Samaria, in coordination with the US,” Netanyahu said late Thursday. “I remain committed to that.”
Kushner highlighted Monday that Netanyahu had promised Washington that he would not annex West Bank territory without the White House’s permission. READ MORE
