A senior Israeli minister says a Cabinet vote to endorse annexation of parts of the West Bank will not take place early next week, despite Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's pledge a day earlier to act quickly after the US released a plan to end the conflict that was rejected by the Palestinians.
Netanyahu said on Wednesday he would ask the Cabinet to advance the extension of Israeli sovereignty over most Jewish settlements and the strategic Jordan Valley, a move that would likely spark international outrage and complicate the White House's efforts to build support for the plan.
Tourism Minister Yariv Levin told Israel Radio that a Cabinet vote on annexing territories on Sunday was not technically feasible because of various preparations, including "bringing the proposal before the attorney-general and letting him consider the matter."
The Palestinians angrily rejected the Trump plan, which largely adopts the Israeli position on all the thorniest issues of the decades-old conflict, from borders and the status of Jerusalem to security measures and the fate of Palestinian refugees.
Levin, a senior member of Netanyahu's Likud party, said the Palestinian state envisioned by the Trump plan is "roughly the same Palestinian Authority that exists today, with authority to manage civil affairs," but lacking "substantive powers" like border control or a military.
The Trump administration had hoped to rally Arab countries around the plan, but so far reactions have been mixed. Saudi Arabia and Egypt, key US allies, welcomed the effort and encouraged negotiations without commenting on the plan itself.
Jordan, which has a peace treaty with Israel, has warned against any Israeli "annexation of Palestinian lands," reaffirming its commitment to an independent Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza with east Jerusalem as its capital.
The head of the Arab League said Wednesday that an initial study of the 50-page plan showed that it "ignored legitimate Palestinian rights in the territories."
Ahmed Aboul-Gheit said the Palestinian response would be key in shaping a "collective Arab position" on the plan.
"Achieving a just and sustainable peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians depends on the will of both sides," he said.
"The peace plan announced by the US president reflected a non-binding US vision."
The Palestinians seek the West Bank and annexed east Jerusalem, which Israel captured in the 1967 Mideast war, as part of a future independent state. Most of the international community considers Israel's West Bank settlements illegal under international law.
Australian Associated Press
