Netanyahu, US discuss annexing West Bank settlements

JERUSALEM: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday he has been discussing legislation with the United States that would effectively annex settlements in the occupied West Bank, a spokesman said.

The move would severely damage remaining prospects for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and draw international outrage.“Regarding the issue of applying sovereignty, I can tell you that I have for some time been speaking with the Americans about it,” Netanyahu told lawmakers from his Likud party, according to comments relayed by a spokesman.

Netanyahu said he wanted to coordinate any such “historic” move with the United States because of the country’s strategic importance to Israel, his spokesman said.Some Israeli media interpreted the comments as the first time Netanyahu expressed support for annexing the settlements.

Saeb Erekat, secretary general of the Palestine Liberation Organisation, condemned the remarks as amounting to “land theft” with US complicity.The comments come with Netanyahu under pressure from right-wing politicians to move ahead with legislation that would apply Israeli sovereignty to settlements in the West Bank.

Two lawmakers, including one from Netanyahu’s party, have proposed such legislation.Netanyahu blocked it from being advanced on Sunday, with officials citing the need to focus on security issues following a confrontation that led to Israeli air strikes in Syria at the weekend.

Unilateral annexation of settlements would be sure to draw international outrage, though Netanyahu’s government has been bolstered by the unstinting support of US President Donald Trump.

Trump recognised Jerusalem as Israel’s capital in December in a move praised by Netanyahu as “historic” but denounced by the Palestinians and most of the rest of the world.But as Netanyahu’s comments made headlines on Monday and US officials failed to confirm the discussions he spoke of, an Israeli official issued a clarification.

Netanyahu “did not present the United States with specific annexation proposals, and in any case the United States did not give its consent to the proposals”, the official said on condition of anonymity.

“Israel updated the United States on various proposals raised in the (parliament), and the United States expressed its clear position that it seeks to advance President Trump’s peace plan.”

The official added that Netanyahu’s position “is that if the Palestinians persist in their refusal to negotiate peace, Israel will present its own alternatives”.While Israel would expect to retain certain settlements in any two-state peace deal, longstanding international consensus has been that their status must be negotiated.