Senior White House advisor Kellyanne Conway said Wednesday that U.S. President Donald Trump was about to make a "big announcement" regarding Israel's plans to apply sovereignty to parts of West Bank.
She said "conversations" had been held, apparently referring to the deliberations on whether the U.S. should give the move its blessing.
Conway said she was "very happy" that the matter was being discussed.
She also dismissed the prospect of a backlash against the move, whether from Palestinians and the larger Arab world, as a "scare tactics."
“He moves the embassy to Jerusalem, the Arab world is going to disappear. Thank God that wasn’t true," Conway said, referring to the decision to move the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem.
(Courtesy of i24NEWS)
Senior officials in the Trump administration began Tuesday to discuss whether Washington should approve Israel's annexation plan.
A nod from the U.S. is crucial for the plan to advance under the coalition deal that created the current government.
But the U.S. has sent mixed signals in recent months as to whether the approval would be forthcoming, with presidential aide Jared Kushner and other American officials telling Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to slow down plans to annex the Jordan Valley and settlements in the West Bank.
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Jared Kushner meeting with Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem
(Photo: Matty Stern/U.S. Embassy Jerusalem)
Washington reportedly wants to see Defense Minister Benny Gantz and Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi on board with the move - and Gantz has recently signaled his willingness to go for a unilateral annexation.
Ashkenazi, however, has reportedly been trying to scupper the plans, saying telling former associates that Jerusalem will not extend annexation over the Jordan Valley.
According to public broadcaster Kan News, Ashkenazi was quoted as saying: “I assume there won’t be annexation in the Jordan Valley. Everyone understands that."
Ashkenazi's office said the Foreign Ministry is fully committed to the Trump peace plan, but any move to extend Israel's sovereignty into the West Bank must be coordinated with Washington and countries in the region.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Wednesday that the final decision on annexation was up to Israel to make.
Reprinted from i24NEWS