© AP Photo/Oded BaliltyPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference in Tel Aviv, Israel, September 10, 2019. Netanyahu vowed to annex the Jordan Valley and, later, all West Bank settlements if he wins national elections.
The United States said Monday it was ready to recognize Israel's annexation of parts of the West Bank
but asked Israel's government to also negotiate with the Palestinians.
"As we have made consistently clear, we are prepared to recognize Israeli actions to extend Israeli sovereignty and the application of Israeli law to areas of the West Bank that
the vision foresees as being part of the State of Israel," a US State Department spokesperson said when asked if the US would allow Israel's new government to move forward with the process.
The step would be "in the context of the Government of Israel agreeing to negotiate with the Palestinians along the lines set forth in President Trump's Vision," the spokesperson told
The Times of Israel.
"The annexation would be
in the context of an offer to the Palestinians to achieve statehood based upon specific terms, conditions, territorial dimensions and generous economic support. This is an unprecedented and highly beneficial opportunity for the Palestinians," the State Department spokesperson said.
The Trump peace plan unveiled earlier this year โ which angered the Palestinians
and was rejected by much of the international community โ gave Israel the green light to annex settlements and the strategic Jordan Valley area.
Comment: The US came perilously close to starting a war with Iran last year, and though it didn't happen then - its clear that some of the same crazed people in Washington are still itching to inflict carnage on the Persian country.
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