Israel's sovereignty initiative in Judea and Samaria and the Jordan Valley, based on US President Donald Trump's vision for peace, will be implemented between July and September, diplomatic officials involved with the planning estimated on Tuesday.
Applying Israeli law in these areas, the officials explained, would have numerous and far-reaching implications. Because the coalition deal with Blue and White allows the earliest date for the matter to be presented for a vote is July 1, and due to the fact that the groundwork is still being completed, the intention is to implement the historic initiative over the summer months and no later than September. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as a reminder, said two weeks ago at the Likud faction meeting that the target date for applying sovereignty is July 1.
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On Wednesday, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, is expected to arrive in Israel to discuss the Trump peace plan and sovereignty bid in particular. Germany, which will be the rotational president of the European Union from July until the end of 2020 and is the strongest county on the continent, vehemently opposes annexation of territories. Haas is expected to present his position to his Israeli counterpart, Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi, and to Netanyahu, with whom he will meet separately.
Germany and the EU have threatened to halt economic partnerships and other projects with Israel if it follows through with its sovereignty plan. With that, European diplomats and Israeli officials have speculated that on the practical level European punitive measures won't be severe. The European position is that the unilateral application of Israeli law in the Jordan Valley and parts of Judea and Samaria violates international law.
Israel, for its part, has presented legal arguments affirming its right to take such action – arguments that are backed by the American administration.
The Palestinians are also adamantly opposed to the move, and Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh said on Tuesday that Israel must face consequences if it annexes territory.
At a news conference, Shtayyeh said annexation would kill any possibility of peace with Israel and erode "the Palestinian, regional and international consensus" on a two-state solution.
He said Israel must now "feel the heat of international pressure."
European states, Shtayyeh said, were debating "sanctions on Israel and freezing association agreements, as well as canceling some research programs" and "recognizing Palestine" as a state in the West Bank and Gaza.
However Shtayyeh said the 27-nation European Union's consensus decision-making was "a bit complicated," and one or two countries were not in line with the others on the issue.
An EU spokesman in Jerusalem declined to comment on Shtayyeh's remarks but pointed to an earlier statement from EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell which said that annexation, "if implemented, could not pass unchallenged."
Shtayyeh said the Palestinians submitted a four-and-a-half page counter-proposal to Trump's plan to the Quartet of Middle East mediators – the United States, Russia, the European Union and United Nations.
The proposal included a demilitarized Palestinian state with "minor border modification wherever it is needed" and exchanges of land equal "in size and volume and in value – one to one," Shtayyeh added.
The Palestinians have declared agreements with Israel void in protest against annexation. Shtayyeh said his government's rejection of taxes collected by Israel on its behalf meant salaries would not be paid to some 130,000 public workers.
Hussein al-Sheikh, the PA official in charge of relations with Israel, told the New York Times on Monday that PA President Mahmoud Abbas plans to run his administration to the ground to prevent Israel from pursuing its sovereignty bid.
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He added that any Israeli citizens or Arab residents of east Jerusalem arrested in Judea and Samaria will be tried in Palestinian courts instead of being handed over to the Israel Police.
Also on Tuesday, Defense Minister Benny Gantz visited IDF units in Judea and Samaria to assess the army's readiness in the sector. IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Aviv Kochavi, GOC Central Command Maj. Gen. Nadav Padan, and other senior officers joined Gantz on his tour. Gantz also met with the heads of local authorities in Judea and Samaria to hear their positions on the sovereignty matter and other day-to-day issues.
