Five months have gone by since US President Donald Trump declared that recognition in the sovereignty map "can be made immediately." Some 30 cabinet meetings have been held since Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged to bring Israel's plan to extend sovereignty to parts of Judea and Samaria and the Jordan Valley to the ministers' approval.
Some 67 days have gone by since the coalition agreement between Likud and Blue and White was inked, stating that the measure could be presented for the government or Knesset's approval as of July 1.
Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter
American and Israeli officials have held dozens of discussions on the issue. Suggestions were put forward, maps were drawn and revised, protests were held, and anyone who had something to say on the matter has said it.
Only one thing has yet to happen: Sovereignty has yet to be extended. Trump and Netanyahu's promises have not been met.
The reason is that months ago, Senior White House adviser Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law, came out against the move. He did so right after the Washington ceremony announcing it, in fact. Since then, both Israel and the US administration have done their best to downplay the crisis, but it's still out there, looming over the entire plan.
Netanyahu has reiterated that he will not relent on the extended sovereignty bid, but the path chosen by the White House on the matter remains unclear. On one hand, it hasn't ordered Israel to roll it back, but on the other hand, it has stressed that it wants to "pursue the move the right way." The fact of the matter is that Kushner and his people keep throwing a wrench in the Israeli plan's wheels.
First came the demand for consensus on the move in the Israeli government, which effectively gave Blue and White veto power – why is the US concerned about whether or not there is a consensus in Israel? Second came the request that Israel offer gestures not included in the plan to the Palestinians – thus resuming the failed pattern of appeasing those who rejected the US Middle East peace plan, something that defies the plan's own internal logic.
Then came the backing for Benny Gantz, who has reneged on his initial support for the sovereignty bid. He went from standing next to President Trump in the White House and endorsing the "deal of the century" to saying it can "wait until we weather the coronavirus crisis."
One would think the White House would protest this zigzag, but it didn't. Are we to understand we are looking at a White House-Blue and White alliance?
Either way, the only logical conclusion is that the Trump administration is looking for a way out of the peace plan it devised and for a way to walk back the promises the American president and his ambassador to Israel have made.
Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!
This is a serious mistake on the part of the US administration. Failing to endorse the extended sovereignty bid would render Trump's "deal of the century" on the same status of all previous US peace proposals – gathering dust on a shelf in the US National Archives.
The bottom line is that promises must be kept. An elected public official has promised his Israeli constituents that he will extend sovereignty to Judea and Samaria. This man has the moral right, the historic obligation, and the leadership prowess to demand that the Trump administration live up to its promise and implement the move now, lest the opportunity is lost for who knows how many decades.
