Pompeo says annexing West Bank is Israel's decision to make

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Wednesday it was up to Israel whether to annex parts of the West Bank and said that Washington would offer its views privately to Israel's new government, drawing a warning from Palestinians who vowed not to "stand handcuffed" if Israel formally took their land.

"As for the annexation of the West Bank, the Israelis will ultimately make those decisions," Pompeo told reporters. "That's an Israeli decision. And we will work closely with them to share with them our views of this in (a) private setting."

The state secretary's remark came after Washington sent ambiguous signals regarding the matter. Prior to Israel's March 2 election, Jared Kushner, Trump's senior adviser and the chief architect of "the deal of the century," said a joint Israeli-American team would have to discuss the matter before Israel moves the annexation forward, which contradicted the message of U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman who said Israel could make its move immediately.

Pompeo also said he was "happy" Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and centrist rival Benny Gantz signed a deal on Monday to form a national emergency government, saying he did not think a fourth Israeli election was in Israel's interest.

The coalition agreement says that while the new government will strive for peace and regional stability, plans to extend Israeli sovereignty to Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank – land the Palestinians seek for a state – could advance.

The move would mean a de-facto annexation of territory that Israel seized in a 1967 war and that is presently under Israeli military control. It would have to be green-lighted by the United States, after which Netanyahu would be permitted to advance the plans from July 1, the agreement says.

Pompeo's comment drew condemnation from Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who said his administration would view agreements with Israel and the United States as "completely canceled" if Israel annexes land in the West Bank.

"We have informed the relevant international parties, including the American and the Israeli governments, that we will not stand hand-cuffed if Israel announces the annexation of any part of our land," Abbas said on Palestine TV.

According to Abbas' office, the televised remarks were recorded shortly before Pompeo made his statement. However, in the wake of that statement, Abbas reviewed his own recorded remarks and approved them for broadcast, Abbas' office said.

The Palestinians and many countries in the world regard settlements as illegal under the Geneva Conventions that bar settling on land captured in war. Israel disputes this, citing security needs and biblical, historical and political connections to the land.

According to Israel's news outlet Haaretz, Jewish organizations in the U.S. warned against the potential consequences should the annexation be pushed forward, while IsraeliHuman Rights NGO B'Tselem said that "Pompeo's statement narrows the gap between what Israel does under the auspices of the United States and what both countries are saying."

"The de facto annexation and the apartheid reality will not wait for July 1, they have been here for a long time. At least now Washington and Jerusalem have stopped lying about their intentions and actions. The international community must stop stuttering and start acting against the existing reality without waiting for another single Israeli move," the NGO added.

U.S. President Donald Trump's peace proposal was embraced by Israel and rejected by the Palestinians, partly because it awards Israel most of what it has sought during decades of conflict, including nearly all the occupied land on which it has built settlements.

(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)