US Ambassador to Israel's Sudden Shift: "No Annexation of the West Bank"

[Image source=David Friedman, U.S. Ambassador to Israel, Twitter /@USAmbIsrael]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] The United States has put the brakes on the Israeli government's plan to annex parts of the West Bank along the Jordan River. When U.S. President Donald Trump announced the "Middle East Peace Plan" last month, he said Israel could "annex anytime," but less than two weeks later, the U.S. changed its stance. This shift is interpreted as the U.S. feeling pressured due to the peace plan's lack of international support and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's apparent political use of the annexation issue.

According to AP News and others, David Friedman, the U.S. Ambassador to Israel, stated on Twitter on the 9th (local time), "Israel must complete the planning process through a joint committee with the United States. If unilateral plans and actions are taken before the committee process is completed, the United States will find it difficult to accept them." This means the Israeli government should not proceed unilaterally with annexation procedures for Jewish settlements in the West Bank without consulting the U.S.

Ambassador Friedman had previously said on the 28th of last month, when President Trump announced the Middle East Peace Plan, that "Israel can annex settlements in the West Bank at any time." Friedman's sudden change in attitude is related to the unfavorable international view of the peace plan and assessments that Netanyahu is politically exploiting the issue. Many believe Netanyahu is using the West Bank annexation issue for the upcoming Israeli general election on March 2. The day before, during an election campaign at a Jewish settlement in the West Bank, he even declared, "We are already proceeding with the procedures to annex this area to Israel according to President Trump's plan."

As the announcement of the Middle East Peace Plan risks being interpreted as aiding Netanyahu's re-election, the White House has drawn a line. Jared Kushner, Senior Advisor to the White House and a key figure behind the peace plan, also stated, "We hope Israel will carry out the annexation of Jewish settlements in the West Bank after the March Israeli general election."

Furthermore, President Trump's Middle East Peace Plan has received poor international public opinion for being "biased toward Israel." The plan recognizes Jerusalem as the entire capital of Israel and proposes annexing Jewish settlements in the West Bank to Israel, while recognizing Palestine as a sovereign state.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.