Israel’s designated Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has been accused of breaking his agreement with Arab countries during the current coalition negotiations, Israeli media reported.
The Likud leader is reported to have agreed to move the civil administration in the West Bank from the Israeli Ministry of Defense to the Ministry of Finance, in order to appease far-right member of the Knesset, Bezalel Smotrich.
Religious Zionism will be handed the civil administration portfolio, according to Haaretz. The Ministry is hugely significant for Palestinians, as it oversees the coordination of Israel’s activity in the Occupied West Bank.
The agreement was reportedly reached as part of the ongoing coalition talks between Netanyahu’s Likud and Religious Zionism, which stalled once more after the parties failed to reach an agreement on several other key issues.
Though details of the talks are yet to be disclosed, Likud is said to have acceded to Religious Zionism’s demand for some of the powers of the civil administration, which is under the Defense Ministry.
Moving the civil administration in the West Bank from Israeli ministry of defense to the ministry of finance will be a "soft annexation" of the WB & violation of the commitment Netanyahu gave the US & UAE to suspend his annexation plan. It could harm the Israel-UAE peace treaty
— Barak Ravid (@BarakRavid) November 23, 2022
Netanyahu has been accused of reneging on his deal with the Arab States by agreeing to the transfer of the civil administration.
“Moving the civil administration in the West Bank from Israeli Ministry of Defense to the Ministry of Finance will be a ‘soft annexation’ of the WB & violation of the commitment Netanyahu gave the US & UAE to suspend his annexation plan,” said Israeli journalist, Barak Ravid on Twitter. “It could harm the Israel-UAE peace treaty,” Ravid added, referring to the 2020 normalization deal.
UAE Foreign Minister, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, already raised his concerns over Religious Zionism becoming part of a coalition with Netanyahu, during a recent visit to Israel.
(MEMO, PC, SOCIAL)
starve em vs shooting em
There is no more need for Israel to annex Yehudah and Shomron than there was for de Gaulle to annex Paris after the Free French liberated it from the Nazis.