White House Rejects Netanyahu's Statements on Negotiations Over Annexation of Settlements

Hours after Benjamin Netanyahu's remarks about negotiating with the U.S. regarding the annexation of Jewish settlements in the West Bank to Israel, the White House, in a rare move, rejected these statements and emphasized that Donald Trump is solely focused on his initiative for peace between Israel and the Palestinians. On Monday, February 12, Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, stated in Jerusalem that he has personally been negotiating with the U.S. for some time to examine 'the application of sovereignty over Judea and Samaria.' Judea and Samaria refer to the West Bank, and Netanyahu's reference to 'applying sovereignty' means enforcing Israeli law in these territories and annexing the West Bank settlements to Israel. According to Israeli media, Netanyahu said during a meeting of the ruling Likud party, 'We have two principles; maximum coordination with the U.S., as this relationship is a strategic asset for Israel and the Jewish settlements; and the second principle is that the application of sovereignty should be a government initiative and not a personal one, as it is a historic step.' However, just hours after these remarks, Josh Raffel, a White House spokesperson, stated that the U.S. and Israel have 'never' discussed such a proposal. The spokesperson added that President Donald Trump is solely focused on his initiative for peace between Israel and the Palestinians. As reported by Israeli media, following these statements, the Israeli Prime Minister's Office issued a clarifying statement that Netanyahu informed the Americans of 'initiatives arising from the Knesset' (Israeli parliament) but did not present specific proposals for annexation. A senior official from the Israeli Prime Minister's Office noted that Israel is aware that the U.S. government opposes these proposals and that the Americans have expressed their firm position in adhering to President Trump's peace plan. Earlier, according to Palestinian media, Nabil Abu Rudeineh, spokesman for the Palestinian Authority, reacted to Netanyahu's statements by saying that 'any unilateral action regarding the imposition of Israeli governance in the settlements will change nothing about the truth, as these settlements are illegal and such actions will only lead to increased tensions.' Israel occupied the West Bank in a war 51 years ago, and the latest data released in Israel suggests that the number of Israelis living in settlements built in the past 51 years in the West Bank has increased to six hundred thousand. Analysts in Israeli media say that Netanyahu is under pressure from rival politicians such as Naftali Bennett, leader of the right-wing 'Jewish Home' party and a supporter of settlements, to annex the settlements located in the West Bank to his country. Donald Trump, the President of the United States, recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel on December 6 and emphasized that this action is a historical fact and will help achieve peace between the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. However, in an interview with the newspaper 'Israel Hayom' published on Sunday, February 11, Trump emphasized that Israeli settlement activities have complicated the Israeli-Palestinian peace process and urged Israel to be 'careful' in this regard. Trump also told the newspaper that the Palestinians are currently not seeking peace, but he has no assurance that Israel is interested in peace with the Palestinians either.