The Emiratis allegedly extracted promises that the U.S. would not back Israeli sovereignty in Judea and Samaria until a four-year time frame expires within which Israel is obligated to negotiate with the Palestinians under the Trump plan.
By World Israel News Staff
According to a report by Times of Israel, the White House promised that that U.S. would not back Israeli sovereignty over Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria “until 2024 at the earliest.”
The Times report quoted anonymous sources “with direct knowledge of the matter” who said the assurances were made during negotiations ahead of the Israel-United Arab Emirates (UAE) peace deal.
The U.S.’s purported commitment with regard to Israeli sovereignty sheds light on time frame within which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may have agreed to delay extending Israeli law to Judea and Samaria.
Prior to the formation of this government, Netanyahu vowed to move forward with sovereignty on July 1.
That plan fell by the wayside amid conflicting reports, some of which eventually claimed that Israel agreed to abandon sovereignty in exchange for the UAE peace deal.
The Times cited “three sources with direct knowledge” of the normalization process who maintained that UAE negotiators valued the U.S.’ commitment to withhold support for sovereignty over Israeli assurances.
The 2024 time frame lines up with the four-year window within which Israel is obligated to negotiate with the Palestinians under the Trump administration’s Mideast peace plan.
According to one of the Times‘ sources, delaying sovereignty would leave the White House with a trump card in future talks with the Palestinians to force their hand with regard to engaging in negotiations with Israel.