Will Israel get sovereignty? Top Trump officials meeting Wednesday

Trump may attend the meeting on Wednesday, which will decide whether to give Israel the green-light to proceed with sovereignty.

By David Isaac, World Israel News

The U.S. government is expected to meet on Wednesday evening to discuss the Israeli sovereignty plan. The goal is to determine whether the U.S. should give Israel the go-ahead to extend its rule over parts of Judea and Samaria and the Jordan Valley.

Senior Trump administration officials will participate in the meeting. They include Senior Trump adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner, Trump Special Negotiator Avi Berkowitz, who has taken over from Jason Greenblatt, U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

President Donald Trump might join the meeting as well.

Friedman, who was hoping to bridge disagreements between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his coalition partner, Defense Minister Benny Gantz, will report to the meeting that the two didn’t succeed in putting together a mutually agreed plan for moving forward with annexation.

As the two couldn’t decide, it may now be that the U.S. will decide for them on the scope of annexation, Israel Hayom reports on Wednesday.

In words that encouraged sovereignty supporters, Gantz did say on Tuesday to reporters that Israel “won’t keep waiting for the Palestinians.” He said if the Palestinians continue to refuse to hold talks about sovereignty, “then we will have to move forward without them.”

The Wednesday meeting will discuss the ramifications of a sovereignty move. Critics of sovereignty have said it will undermine Jordan’s regime and spark violence within Judea and Samaria among Palestinians. The discussion will also examine the effect sovereignty would have on America’s standing in the world.

According to Israel’s assessment, the warnings are overblown and the reaction from the Arab side will be limited. Moderate Sunni Arab states will satisfy themselves with declarations of condemnation and no more, Israel Hayom reported on Tuesday.

Israel also doesn’t expect European countries to take drastic action. Although more than a thousand European MPs signed a sharp letter of opposition to Israel’s plan, Israel estimates that Germany, which will soon take over the presidency of the Council of the EU, will work to moderate extreme reactions from that corner.

On Wednesday, the UN Security Council will hold a meeting to discuss the impact of sovereignty on America’s position int the world. The meeting is widely viewed as an effort to influence the U.S. to back down from its support.

In disturbing reports to sovereignty supporters, Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi may be actively siding with those opposed to extending Israeli sovereignty.

Reports have emerged that he’s trying to torpedo Israeli efforts at the UN. Ashkenazi’s office hasn’t denied it, Israel Hayom reports. His office said Ashkenazi will “only support a process that will advance responsibly in full coordination with the U.S. and in a dialogue with the neighboring states.”

A senior Likud official told the paper, “It’s a grave matter and requires immediate investigation. It’s not clear how a foreign minister of Israel can go against a historic political process.”

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