Netanyahu presents Gantz with scenarios for sovereignty

Elad Benari (INN)

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Wednesday presented Defense Minister Benny Gantz with a series of possible scenarios for application of sovereignty over Judea and Samaria, including a purely “symbolic” step, Haaretz reported.

According to the report, Netanyahu and Knesset Speaker Yariv Levin met with Gantz and Foreign Affairs Minister Gabi Ashkenazi, amid uncertainty regarding the exact shape and timeline of the Prime Minister’s declared intention to apply sovereignty.

There is still no final map, still no green light from the United States and still no agreement between Likud and Blue and White on the move.

According to sources familiar with the content of the meeting, a number of scenarios were discussed, ranging from the annexation of 30 percent of Judea and Samaria, as slated in the Trump Mideast peace plan, to a far more “symbolic” move.

The possibility of a more limited move has become a viable option, noted Haaretz. Blue and White leaders are careful to stress both publicly and privately that they do not support unilateral application of sovereignty, but want it to take place in coordination with the international community and the countries in the region, particularly Jordan and the Gulf states.

Jordan has been vocal in its opposition to the sovereignty move. Jordanian King Abdullah II recently warned Israel against applying sovereignty in Judea and Samaria, saying that if Israel goes through with the sovereignty move, “it would lead to a massive conflict with the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan”.

Jordanian Prime Minister Omar al-Razzaz later threatened that the kingdom would review its relationship with Israel if the Jewish state goes ahead with the sovereignty move.

On Tuesday, King Abdullah II spoke to US congressional leaders and warned that Israel’s planned move to apply sovereignty over parts of Judea and Samaria next month would threaten stability in the Middle East