Netanyahu: I spoke with Trump about annexing Jordan Valley

Netanyahu has made his intention to annex the Jordan valley a central theme in his re-election campaign.

By World Israel News Staff

On Sunday, the White House released an statement that said President Donald Trump spoke with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about Iran and other issues over the phone.

On Monday, Netanyahu revealed one of the things that the two leaders spoke about: Annexation of the Jordan Valley.

“I spoke yesterday with President Trump, a very important conversation for Israel’s security,” Netanyahu said during a groundbreaking ceremony for 12 new factories in Ashkelon.

“We talked about Iran, but we also talked at length about historic opportunities that stand before us in the coming months — among them are [establishing] the Jordan Valley as the recognized eastern border of the State of Israel, as well as a defense treaty with the United States. Things we could only dream of, but now we have the opportunity to realize them,” Netanyahu said.

Netanyahu also said that he offered Blue and White Leader Benny Gantz to join him in this historic endeavor.

“I’ve made Benny Gantz an offer — let’s realize these historic opportunities in a unity government that we establish right now in the format I’ve suggested. I’ve gone very far [in political concessions] toward this goal, because we must realize these opportunities,” he said.

Netanyahu has made his intention to annex the Jordan valley a central theme in his re-election campaign.

Explaining the importance of annexing the Jordan Valley Netanyahu said in a September statement “It’s our eastern defensive wall. A defensive wall that ensures that we’ll never return to be a state with a width of several kilometers.”

On Nov. 29, Netanyahu gave his approval to advance a bill that would allow Israel to annex the Jordan Valley, reported the Jerusalem Post at the time.

On Tuesday, Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas warned that if Israel completes annexation of the Jordan Valley, the Palestinians will pursue the Jewish state in international forums and end relations on all levels.

“As for [Israeli Prime Minister] Benjamin Netanyahu’s intention to … annex the Jordan Valley, we are closely monitoring his steps in this direction. If the Israeli premier really does something like this, we will turn to the U.N., the International Criminal Court, and we’ll finally and irrevocably sever all relations with Israel,” Abbas said.