Israeli unity government may postpone sovereignty over the West Bank – Israeli affairs specialist

Ramallah – North-Press Agency

Ahmed Ismail

Former Knesset (Israel's Parliament) member and the Israeli affairs specialist Nazir Mejali said on Sunday that Benny Gantz, leader of the Blue and White political alliance, is seeking to implement the plan to annex the West Bank occupied in 1967 faster, taking advantage of the world’s preoccupation with the coronavirus.

The Likud Party, led by Prime Minister Netanyahu and the Benny Gantz-led Blue and White alliance, are resuming talks to establish an emergency unity government after the coalition negotiations between the two sides nearly collapsed.

In an interview with North-Press, Mejali expected that Gantz will succeed in pressing to postpone the annexation of the West Bank to July if the unity government of Netanyahu and Gantz parties is formed.

Gantz previously mentioned the crisis in negotiations between his party and the Likud. In a statement posted on his Facebook page, he said: “This is not the time to manipulate time and narrow politics”.

However, Netanyahu's phone call with him last Thursday renewed hopes for their agreement to establish a unity government, according to observers of the negotiation process.

Mejali explains that Netanyahu seeks to implement the plan to annex the occupied West Bank in 1967 faster, taking advantage of the world's preoccupation with the coronavirus.

"As long as the virus is still widespread, it is difficult for the UN Security Council to publish a statement of condemnation via the application Zoom," says Mejali.

Mejali believes that a compromise between Netanyahu and Gantz regarding the annexation plan is for it to be delayed for three months, not to cancel it.

The Palestinian Authority warns that the Israeli government will annex the West Bank, taking advantage of the global coronavirus crisis, and demands that the international community prevent Netanyahu from implementing the illegal plan that contradicts both the agreements between the two sides and international law.