ALBAWABA - Israeli public broadcaster KAN reported that following Trump's inauguration, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu plans to reintroduce plans to pave the ground for the annexation of the West Bank.
In private discussions, Netanyahu reportedly stated that after Trump takes office, he will put the annexation of the West Bank back on his government's agenda, according to KAN.
Bezalel Smotrich, the far-right Finance Minister, said on Monday that he gave Israel's Civil Administration and Settlement Division instructions to start laying the foundation for infrastructure in the West Bank so that it could "apply sovereignty".
"We were on the verge of applying sovereignty over settlements in Judea and Samaria (the West Bank) before the Biden administration," Smotrich stated.
Based on the alleged Middle East peace plan that Trump unveiled in January 2020, Netanyahu intended to "annex" the illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank and the Jordan Valley.
About 30% of the West Bank is made up of the territories Netanyahu intended to acquire at the time. However, his initiative was not introduced in response to international pressure or with US consent.
Both the West Bank and East Jerusalem are regarded as "occupied territories" by international law, and any construction of Israeli settlements there is prohibited.
