The U.S. ambassador to Israel did not rule out an Israeli move to annex parts of the West Bank in an interview with The New York Times published on Saturday.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in the run-up to an April election that he would move to annex some Jewish settlements in the West Bank or exercise full-fledged Israeli sovereignty in such areas.
The New York Times said that U.S. Ambassador David Friedman had declined to say how Washington would respond to annexation, but remarked:
"We really don't have a view until we understand how much, on what terms, why does it make sense, why is it good for Israel, why is it good for the region, why does it not create more problems than it solves."
"These are all things that we'd want to understand, and I don't want to prejudge," Friedman said.
The White House has been working on a proposal for peace between Israel and the Palestinians, dubbed by President Donald Trump as "the deal of the century", but has not disclosed any of its details.
Friedman said that, under certain circumstances, "Israel has the right to retain some, but unlikely all, of the West Bank".
It was unclear which West Bank territories Friedman meant and whether Israel's retention would be part of a peace accord that includes land swaps rather than a unilateral move such as annexation.
The Trump plan had been expected to be unveiled during an economic conference in Bahrain this month. But a snap election in Israel set for Sept. 17 is likely to delay the roll out.
Responding to Friedman's interview, Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat tweeted: "Their vision is about the annexation of occupied territory, a war crime under international law."
The Palestinian leadership has refused to deal with the Trump administration since it recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital in late 2017. Palestinians want the eastern part of the city, which has been integrated into the city following its unification by Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War and later annexed.
In March, Trump recognized Israeli sovereignty over the Israeli part of the Golan Heights, citing its immense strategic value. Israel annexed the area in the 1980s, more than a decade after it came under its control during the Six-Day War.
Netanyahu told Army Radio in April that Trump's Golan step showed it was possible to annex West Bank settlements "within a gradual process and I prefer to do so with American recognition".
He added: "I have been discussing the question of extending sovereignty with the Americans for the past six months."
