Speaking at an elementary school, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to expand “Jewish sovereignty” to every single settlement in the occupied West Bank, claiming that God wanted to see all those settlements “as part of the State of Israel.”
The talk of expanding sovereignty is seen as tantamount to annexation, which is what Netanyahu presented the plan as before the April election. He has emphasized the need to make such moves since as a political issue.
The plan was deeply criticized by Israeli Arab politicians, who noted the annexation would be a war crime. Indeed, while Netanyahu is hoping to vitalize the far-right voters, he may also convince more Arabs to vote to stop him.
Netanyahu previously suggested that President Trump’s endorsement of the annexation of Golan set the stage for the annexation of the West Bank as well, on the assumption Trump would be fine with it.
Netanyahu to Extend Jewish Sovereignty to All West Bank Settlements
Says God wants settlements as part of State of Israel
Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.
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