Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has put on hold a controversial plan to apply Israeli sovereignty to Judea and Samaria, also known as the West Bank, after receiving sharp warnings from both regional allies and Western nations. The issue was slated for a ministerial discussion on Thursday but has been replaced by a session focused on the mounting security challenges in the area.
The Jerusalem Post reported that defense officials will caution ministers that the West Bank “could erupt instantly” as momentum builds at the United Nations for several Western countries to recognize a Palestinian state later this month.
The decision follows a stern warning from the United Arab Emirates to both Israel and President Trump that annexing the West Bank would threaten the Abraham Accords, signed nearly five years ago as a cornerstone of Israel’s normalization with Arab states. Emirati special envoy Lana Nusseibeh told The Times of Israel that annexation would be a “red line” for Abu Dhabi, foreclosing peace efforts and “the idea of regional integration.”
Her message echoed a 2020 op-ed by UAE Ambassador Yousef Otaiba that helped derail Netanyahu’s earlier annexation drive in exchange for normalization. Nusseibeh stressed that Arab capitals remain open to normalization — including Saudi Arabia — but only if Israel abandons annexation and moves toward a credible framework for a Palestinian state.
Despite the warnings, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and leaders from Judea and Samaria are urging Netanyahu to advance sovereignty over more than 80% of the biblical lands, leaving Palestinian areas as isolated enclaves. “Beyond the historical, biblical, and moral right of the Jewish people to their land, sovereignty has a paramount security role,” Smotrich argued, saying it would prevent an “Arab terror state” in Israel’s heartland.
His push comes as France, the UK, Canada, Australia, and Belgium announced plans to recognize Palestinian statehood at the UN, moves Jerusalem views as a “reward” for Hamas after the October 7 attacks.
1 comment:
The PM blinked setting the stage for Daniel 9:27.
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