Israel’s Security Cabinet convened on Sunday evening to discuss the possibility of applying sovereignty over areas of the West Bank, in response to France’s planned recognition, along with other countries, of a Palestinian state during the upcoming UN General Assembly at the end of September in New York.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, along with other ministers, is demanding that sovereignty be applied as a direct response to the French move. Smotrich has insisted in discussions and meetings with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on “a significant and not merely symbolic application of sovereignty.”
Several Israeli officials told The Jerusalem Post that the possibility of applying sovereignty “to certain areas” is being seriously considered, but Netanyahu has yet to make a final decision on the matter.
In recent weeks, senior US officials have conveyed to their Israeli counterparts that “the decision on sovereignty lies in Israel’s hands,” according to two sources familiar with the discussions. These sources added that while the message was not a full green light for any move, it also wasn’t a red light. One official said, “The Americans are telling Netanyahu and other senior Israeli officials: first decide what you want – then talk to us.”
In August, US House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson—considered third in line in the American government hierarchy – visited the West Bank on a trip organized by Yesha [West Bank] Council Chairman Israel Ganz and the US-Israel Education Association.
During his visit, Johnson met with Netanyahu and said, “Judea and Samaria are part of Israel. We are working to eliminate the use of the term ‘West Bank’ in the administration, in Congress, and in the federal government.”
Huckabee tells 'Post' that Israel will make its own decisions
Two weeks ago, US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, long known for his strong support of the view that Judea and Samaria are an integral part of Israel, emphasized in an interview with the Post that Israel is a sovereign nation and will make its own decisions.
“That’s really not the president’s style,” Huckabee said, referring to the potential for United States pressure on annexation. “He may express his own opinions, but he hasn’t stepped in to say, ‘You ought to annex this or that.’ He just hasn’t. I think he respects that Israel is a sovereign country.”