Senior members of a major Israeli party are pushing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to annex the West Bank before the end of the Knesset's summer session on July 27, according to multiple reports.
The Jerusalem Post first reported that Likud ministers and Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana signed a petition that urged Netanyahu, a Likud member, to take the West Bank after teaming with the U.S. to force Iran into a ceasefire following the 12-Day War.
"After Israel’s historic achievements under the leadership of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu against the evil axis of Iran and its sympathizers, the task must be completed, the existential threat removed from within, and another massacre in the heart of the country must be prevented," the petition states, the Post reported.
Reports of the letter come with Netanyahu, who is expected to travel next week to the U.S. for meetings with President Donald Trump.
The petition added that "the strategic partnership, backing and support of the US and President Donald Trump have made it a propitious time to move forward with it now, and ensure Israel’s security for generations," The Times of Israel reported.
The petition was praised by Religious Zionism Chair Bezalel Smotrich, a minister within the Defense Ministry.
Smotrich said that as soon as the prime minister "gives the order," he will be ready to implement Israeli sovereignty over the West Bank "immediately," The Times of Israel reported.
In an interview in early June, Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said the long-running U.S. government position on a two-state solution in Gaza and the West Bank is likely over.
"Unless there are some significant things that happen that change the culture, there's no room for it," Huckabee told Bloomberg in a Jerusalem interview.
The Egyptian government offered its "categorical rejection" of the Israeli petition.
"[The statements] violate international law and aim to entrench the illegal occupation of Palestinian territories, and to undermine the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination and the establishment of their independent state," Egypt’s government said.
The Times of Israel added that it appears unlikely that Israel will try to unilaterally annex the West Bank while pursuing peace deals with Syria and other regional players.
Charlie McCarthy ✉
Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.