Benny Gantz, leader of Israel's Blue and White Party and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's top political rival, backtracked today on his request that President Trump not release his Israeli-Palestinian peace plan before Israel's March 2nd elections.
Why it matters: This removes a major obstacle to the plan's release. The shift seems to be based on a calculation that if Trump were to release the plan in coordination with Netanyahu, and against his wishes, Gantz would appear to lack influence in Washington.
Catch up quick: U.S. and Israeli officials expect Trump to decide within days whether to release the plan before March, as I reported on Sunday.
- Gantz had previously said releasing the plan — which Netanyahu could use to rally his base — would constitute interference in Israeli politics.
- But during a visit to the Jordan Valley in the West Bank today, Gantz justified his flip flop: "Three weeks have passed and a lot of dramatic things have happened in the Middle East — so I hope the president presents his plan soon."
- Gantz also said for the first time that he would annex the Jordan Valley if elected, “in coordination with the international community" — a sign he is courting right-wing voters. Annexation of the Jordan Valley is a pillar of Netanyahu's platform.
Netanyahu was quick to respond, issuing a statement calling on Gantz to pass a vote on annexation in the Israeli parliament before the elections. That would be legally questionable, as the Knesset has been dissolved.
https://www.axios.com/gantz-changes-course-calls-on-trump-to-release-middle-east-peace-plan-f7d88616-2ec9-42a9-bf3d-e12ec072a11c.html
2020-01-21 13:02:00Z
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