Israel Seeks US Permission to Annex Jordan Valley over ‘Security’ Concerns

Benjamin Netanyahu tours the Jordan Valley region of the occupied West Bank with John Bolton. (Photo: via Social Media)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is allegedly seeking support and approval by the United States to enable the annexation of the Jordan Valley under the pretext that it is “a vital area to Israel’s security,” anonymous political sources have told Asharq Al-Awsat.

The speculations come shortly after Netanyahu’s tour with US Security Advisor John Bolton around the West Bank on Sunday, in which the Israeli premier insisted that any future agreement regarding Palestine must first guarantee an Israeli presence in the Jordan Valley.

Speaking  on Israeli military control of the valley, Netanyahu said:

“In any future peace agreement, our position is that Israel’s presence here must continue – for the security of Israel and for the security of all.”

Netanyahu reiterated the importance of Israel’s interests in the area when he addressed his cabinet yesterday, announcing that the Israeli Army’s presence there “guarantees stability and security for the entire region.”

Bolton commented on the idea, saying that,

“It’s too bad… that more Americans can’t come to locations like this, see the geography, understand its significance, understand how it affects Israel’s critical security position, and explain why Israel has taken the view that it has.”

Israeli premiers and military strategists have long strived to attain the Jordan Valley due to two primary reasons: the fertile farmland of the valley which the settlers already possess vast control over, and its geopolitical strategic significance. The West Bank is elevated and overlooks Israeli territory stretching to the sea to the west.

Most of the Jordan Valley is classified as Area C, which means it is already under Israeli control.

The Israeli Army has expelled entire Palestinian families from the valley in recent months and has conducted a number of military exercises there. The official annexation of the valley, however, would give it far greater control and would give it an increased military advantage in the area.

(Middle East Monitor, PC, Social Media)

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