Senior aides to US President Donald Trump began discussions on Tuesday on whether to give Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a green light for his plan to apply sovereignty to Judea and Samaria, according to a US official and a person familiar with the deliberations.
With Netanyahu's July 1 target date for beginning the process approaching, the White House meeting included Trump son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner, National Security Advisor Robert O'Brien, Middle East envoy Avi Berkowitz, and the US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman, the US official said.
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Trump, whose support Netanyahu is counting on for a move that has drawn condemnation from the Palestinians and US Arab allies, did not participate, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. But US sources have said he could join in later as this week's deliberations continue.
Under Trump's Middle East peace proposal unveiled in January, it is envisaged that the United States would recognize the Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria and the Jordan Valley as part of Israel.
Trump's proposal would eventually create a Palestinian state under a broader peace plan while imposing strict conditions on it. Palestinian leaders have completely rejected the initiative.
Encouraged by Trump's push, Netanyahu intends to launch his project of extending sovereignty to Judea and Samaria and the Jordan Valley, hoping for US approval. Palestinian leaders have voiced outrage at the prospect.
Among the main options under US consideration is a step-by-step process in which Israel would initially declare sovereignty over several areas close to Jerusalem instead of the 30% of the West Bank envisaged in Netanyahu's original plan, according to a person familiar with the matter.
Trump has not closed the door to a larger application of sovereignty, but fears that allowing Israel to move too fast could kill any hopes of drawing the Palestinians into talks, the source said.
There are also concerns about opposition from Jordan, one of only two Arab countries that have a peace treaty with Israel, and from Gulf states that have quietly expanded engagement with Israel.
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The officials on Tuesday held what one source called "informal internal discussions." No decisions were reached at the meeting, which Kushner attended before leaving with Trump on a trip to Arizona, the US official said.
Washington has also made clear it wants Israel's unity government, currently divided on the issue, to reach a consensus.
