Never in Israel's history has there been a prime minister who has tied his fate to that of the settlement enterprise in Judea and Samaria as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has. This is only one of the reasons why he is considered one of the greatest statesmen the Jewish state has ever produced.
Unlike others, who began their political way as defenders of the settlement enterprise but reversed their positions once they made it to the top, Netanyahu never abandoned the positions he expressed in his early days in politics.
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Even today, when he is one of the most recognized and esteemed leaders in the world, Netanyahu makes the security and historical arguments in favor of the settlement that he introduced decades ago, upon the birth of the settlement enterprise.
"Do you know why we are called Jews?" he rhetorically asked hundreds of members of the US Congress in 2011. "Because we came from Judea."
But for Netanyahu, this is not just rhetoric. Unlike his predecessors, Netanyahu has never ordered to uproot Jews from their homes and has even tried his best to minimize court orders in that spirit.
Not it seems that history has presented Netanyahu with a unique opportunity to take diplomatic action that would enable him to complete one of his life's missions. Netanyahu will meet with US President Donald Trump at the White House on Tuesday to hear the outline of the much-anticipated "deal of the century."
Is it widely expected that the Palestinian Authority will reject the plan, thus presenting Israel with a chance to take its fate into its own hands and change the reality on the ground.
Once the world realizes that Netanyahu is serious about annexation, a war will begin – at least politically and diplomatically. Domestic and international pressure not to apply Israeli sovereignty to the Jordan Valley and parts of Judea and Samaria will be enormous. Top jurists will explain that it is wrong; pundits will warn of the dangers; and politicians will try to prevent Netanyahu from making yet another historic mark.
This means Netanyahu, who has long become a leader on a par with first Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion, will be required to make a monumental decision, potentially defying all conventions and warnings – just like Ben-Gurion did when he forged ahead with the declaration of Israel's inception.
Netanyahu will have to swim against the current, as he so often does, to come full circle from the 1967 Six-Day War and cement Israel's eastern borders.
When he does, the public will rejoice because even most Israelis who have never once visited a settlement agree that the settlements are imperative for Israel's security.
No one can dispute the fact that the majority of Israelis endorse the right-wing agenda – even Blue and White leader Benny Gantz said last week that "the Jordan Valley is Israel's eastern bulwark" and that he will act "to apply sovereignty over the Jordan Valley as part of an agreed-upon national move and in coordination with the international community."
So in fact, annexation is a consensus – the only thing left to do is to implement it.
