Prime Minister Netanyahu
Photo: Reuters
Netanyahu says in talks with US over West Bank sovereignty
Prime Minister Netanyahu says he's coordinating with the Americans about applying Israeli sovereignty on settlements in the West Bank; 'it must be a government initiative and not a private one, because this is a historic move.'
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday he was having talks with the Americans about applying Israeli sovereignty
in the West Bank.
Netanyahu told Likud members that he is guided by two principles on the matter: "Coordinating as much as possible with the Americans, with whom the relationship is a strategic asset to the State of Israel and to the settlement enterprise," and the legislation "must be a government initiative and not a private one, because this is a historic move."
Prime Minister Netanyahu (Photo: Emil Salman)
Coalition heads decided on Sunday to postpone an upcoming vote at the Ministerial Committee for Legislation on an annexation bill sponsored by Likud MK Yoav Kisch, with the official reason being the security events of the past weekend in northern Israel.
Kisch's proposal seeks to apply Israeli law, judicial system and sovereignty in all West Bank settlements. It is identical to a resolution unanimously adopted by the Likud Central Committee a month ago.
Members of the coalition have proposed quite a few annexation bills during the 20th Knesset's term: Kisch and Bayit Yehudi MK Bezalel Smotrich submitted a proposal to annex the settlement of Ma'ale Adumim; MK Moti Yogev (Bayit Yehudi) and MK Miki Zohar (Likud) sought to annex Gush Etzion, the city of Ariel and the Jordan Valley; Minister Yisrael Katz (Likud) tried to promote a bill proposal to annex Givat Ze'ev; MK Shuli Mualem-Rafaeli (Bayut Yehudi) proposed to repeal the Disengagement Law in the northern Samaria region.
All of these proposals were sidelined by the coalition, mostly to avoid censure from the international community.
