A report drawn up by analysts from the Israeli intelligence ministry urges the government to annex the occupied territories in the West Bank as soon as possible, before the US elections. The report informs the Israeli government that the annexation should not cause violence in the streets, there will be diplomatic protests but acceptance of the "status quo" will gradually take place.
The report was published by Israel Hayom, the most widely read right-wing newspaper in Israel. The subject of the document is Netanyahu's "annexation plan", the plan first presented by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on 10 September 2019, a few days before Israel's elections. It is proposed that Israel annexes several Israeli settlements in the occupied territories, which are considered illegal by the United Nations. The plan has been condemned by the United Nations and many Western countries, but has the approval of the White House. Some Palestinian groups and several Arab countries have already warned Israel of the serious consequences following the announced annexation.
But the intelligence report, written at the request of secret service minister Eli Cohen, says these warnings shouldn't worry the Israeli government. A possible annexation of the Israeli settlements will cause some demonstrations throughout the Arab world, but it will not "wake up the road" against Arab governments. The report states: "He will clarify to Arab leaders that the Palestinian issue is not a threat”For their political survival.
The report goes further. Israel's move of force could bring Arab governments closer, as Arab leaders will realize that the Jewish state's annexation of Palestinian lands will not elicit much reaction from their citizens. Furthermore, it suggests that the timing for annexation works in Israel's favor, as the Palestinian Authority, which controls the West Bank, has been substantially weakened by its disagreement with the White House. Also, specify the document, Hamas "she is not ready for another period of fighting"And most Palestinians are" mostly concerned about the problems of everyday life. " Other countries are facing the coronavirus pandemic.
In its concluding part, the report appears to reject the conventional thinking that annexation of the settlements will destroy even the remotest possibility of a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians. He reports that "after a period in which the international system gets used to annexation", Palestinians and their supporters in the region will be forced to "return to the peace talks", and even to seek "solutions along the lines of 1967 and mainly on aspects territorial ". In its concluding section, the report suggests that the Israeli government proceed with the annexation as soon as possible in view of the upcoming US presidential election in November, the outcome of which to date is very uncertain.
The Arab League has spoken out against Israel's decision to annex certain territories of the West Bank, considering the possible move to be a "war crime" against the Palestinian population.
The issue of annexation of the Palestinian territories also concerns the plan that the President of the United States, Donald Trump, revealed on January 28, or the so-called Peace Plan, also known as the "agreement of the century", aimed at restoring peace in the Middle East and resolving the Arab-Israeli conflict. In particular, the project, outlined in 181 pages, if effectively implemented, could guarantee Israel control of a unified Jerusalem, recognized as capital, as well as preserve Israeli settlements in the current Palestinian Territories, which include the West Bank and Gaza.
The West Bank is considered a territory under Israeli military occupation by the United Nations, and is subject to the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949. This status was recognized to the Palestinian territories by the international community in 1967, following the Six Day War. Following Israel's victory, Israel has since controlled the borders of the West Bank and the majority of the territory in which the Palestinian population lives. A dividing wall, 570 km long, follows the so-called Green Line and divides the Palestinian territories from the Israeli territories, according to the pre-1967 frontiers. Israel does not consider the Palestinian territories "occupied" and maintains that in these areas it is not possible apply international law of war, with reference to the Geneva Convention.