"The West Bank is not going to be annexed by Israel," Vance told reporters Thursday. "The policy of the Trump administration is that the West Bank will not be annexed by Israel. That will continue to be our policy."

When asked about the vote, Vance described his initial reaction as confusion. "That was weird. I was sort of confused by that," he said. He explained that someone informed him the vote was symbolic in nature, with no practical significance.

The vice president did not mince words about his assessment of the action. "Look, if it was a political stunt, it was a very stupid political stunt, and I personally take some insult to it," Vance said.

He added that the administration was displeased with the vote. "We certainly weren't happy about it," he said, while acknowledging that lawmakers are free to take symbolic votes if they choose.

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The first matter was the conspicuous, organized departure of dozens of ambassadors from the plenary hall the moment Netanyahu began speaking at the podium. This was admittedly an act of hypocrisy – even Iran garnered more support – but it spoke to Israel's current status in the international arena. Anyone who believes the UN is irrelevant is mistaken; this action is supported by a sequence of measures and boycotts that currently endanger Israel in every potential sphere – from trade to sports, from culture to academia.

The second matter was the loudspeakers installed in Gaza to allow its Palestinian inhabitants to listen to the address. This was a maneuver that demonstrated a complete loss of composure and total loss of direction, both by Netanyahu and his advisors who are fixated on stunts, and equally by the IDF, which collaborated and jeopardized soldiers with this foolish endeavor. There is absolutely no inherent value in this mission, whose legitimacy is dubious and whose logic is absent given its lack of concrete impact on the intended audience.

A speech devoid of hope

The speech itself was a complex masterpiece, but it prompted somber reflections. For example, regarding the disparity between the complimentary reference to the 20 living hostages (and what about the others?), and the cold and detached attitude their families encounter from Netanyahu and his inner circle. Or concerning the barcode leading to the atrocity video, which appeared considerably late and after the world had already moved on.

More than anything, two elements were absent from the address: hope and initiative. The world seeks both of these, and so do the majority of Israelis. Netanyahu offers them only an apocalypse – immediately, and continuing forward – and finds himself, in exchange, with Tonga and Papua standing with him. There is very little wisdom in this approach. Israel has cornered itself into a perilous situation where it wavers between absolute isolation and an imposed resolution, or perhaps even a blend of both.

The key leverage, as ever, is held by President Donald Trump, the core principles of whose plan were released at the end of the week and fall short of Israel's demands threshold. Netanyahu is trapped: if he persuades Donald Trump to stand with him, meaning he manages to delay the plan, he will intensify the global boycott against Israel. If he aligns with Donald Trump, he risks losing his supporting coalition base, which persisted in sounding "annexation now" messages recently while Trump clearly indicated that there is no chance of that occurring.

To assume command

Netanyahu is the paramount political Houdini of our time, and he has navigated out of impossible circumstances previously. But even Houdini perished after taking an unforeseen blow, and Netanyahu – and Israel – must not risk a similar outcome. Upon his arrival at the White House, he must embrace the counsel of senior members of the security establishment and several of his ministers, and take the reins back into his hands. The hostage agreement currently presented for consideration would constitute a beneficial starting point allowing for a break and a calming of tensions, following which the campaign can be managed in a more measured and effective way.

The answers will be known upon Netanyahu's return, on Tuesday. They are anticipated in the homes of the hostages, and in the homes of the fighters, and in every Israeli home engaged with the war and its repercussions, and also in quite a few homes worldwide – which are utterly weary of Israel's conflicts.

After the stunts have finished, the moment for actions has come. The individual who presented at the UN is not an entertainer, he is a prime minister, and we are not living in a movie. Israel will not achieve victory in the war through speeches or through loudspeakers, but through actions. And if it does not take action itself, others might do it for it – and detrimentally – very soon, and at a substantial cost.

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The historic visit to Abu Dhabi by the Israeli-US delegation ended Tuesday afternoon.

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However, Musharakh emphasized that his government had "received assurances" from the American and Israeli governments that annexation would not proceed.

"We stopped the annexation and we are committed to Arab decisions about the Palestinians," he said.

Musharakh spoke harshly about Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, who accused the UAE of "betraying the Palestinians" by making peace with Israel.

"The way to peace is not through incitement and hatred. That rhetoric does not help the path of peace or the regional path," he said.

The United Arab Emirates wants ties with Israel in all fields, quickly, Musharakh said.

"The talks were promising. Talks dealt with culture, diplomatic ties, aviation, and other things. There is much work to be done at all levels, but it has been proven that the path of peace leads to prosperity and cooperation."

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"Almost immediately, a series of escalating events began in the Israeli-Palestinian sphere and beyond," the Institute for National Security Studies warned.

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As part of a quickly deteriorating Middle Eastern situation, the INSS warned that Jerusalem would likely be confronted with a wave of Palestinian violence and the freezing of the Israel-Jordan peace treaty, as well as Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas declaring independence in Judea and Samaria.

"During the exercise, the increased loss of control over these events spurred the various relevant actors to accede to a plan by the Quartet [UN, US, EU and Russia] for the suspension of both the annexation and establishment of the Palestinian state and a return to the negotiating table – with [US President Donald Trump's] plan one of the terms of reference for those negotiations, along with the Arab Peace Initiative," the INSS concluded.

The Arab Peace initiative is a 2002 Saudi-sponsored plan that offers Israel full diplomatic normalization and trade with the Arab world in exchange for a Palestinian state in accordance with the UN and international law.

The INSS also lamented that the current Israeli government would be eschewing long-term strategic thinking in favor of short-term considerations, and that sovereignty could prompt "dramatic steps that change the rules of the game."

"It became clear that tactical events are what determine Israeli strategy," the think tank said. "This tendency was illustrated during the war game, and showed that the decision-making process reflects short-term thinking that does not take into account all of the direct or indirect consequences of dramatic steps that change the rules of the game."

According to the INSS, Israel could also be confronted with a far less amenable administration in the White House come November, when the US holds presidential elections.

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"The image of Israel as a 'regional bully' that does not comply with norms, international law, or the rules of the game, while enjoying full American backing, is prevalent. The dynamic of the game showed that if [US Democratic Presidential nominee Joe] Biden is elected president, he may withdraw American recognition of the annexation, and perhaps the protection of the American veto on a decision against Israel that is not binding in the Security Council. In that case, relations between Israel and the Democratic Party in the US will be seriously harmed," the report concluded.

Parts of this article were originally published by i24NEWS.

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The letter has been issued by Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) and Betty McCollum (D-Minn.).

In the letter, the progressive members of Congress, citing unspecified "leading human rights experts," warn that "annexing parts of the West Bank will perpetuate and entrench human rights violations against Palestinians including limitations on freedom of movement, mass expropriation of privately-owned Palestinian land, further expansion of illegal settlements, continued demolitions of Palestinian homes, and a loss of Palestinian control over their natural resources."

The letter accuses Israel of "paving the path toward an apartheid system" since it won't grant citizenship to Palestinians living in annexed territory," despite the Palestinians being under the control of the Palestinian Authority, known for corruption, human rights abuses and supporting terrorism against Israelis.

"The US should work to build a future in which all Palestinians and Israelis live under full equality by upholding a foreign policy that centers human rights and dignity for all people," states the letter. "We therefore call on you to use a combination of pressure and incentives to stop Israel's plans to illegally annex the West Bank, which would ensure a worsening of the situation for all Palestinians and Israelis."

The lawmakers warned that if Israel were to go ahead with the move, which the Israeli government has said it planned to do some time after July 1, "we will work to ensure non-recognition as well as pursue conditions on the $3.8 billion in US military funding to Israel, including human rights conditions and withholding funds for the off-shore procurement of Israeli weapons equal to or exceeding the amount the Israeli government spends annually to fund settlements, as well as the policies and practices that sustain and enable them."

In an action alert email on Monday, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee called the letter "one-sided" and "directly threatens the US-Israel relationship," "supports conditioning and cutting America's security assistance commitment to Israel" and "would damage American interests, risk the security of Israel and make a two-state solution less likely."

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Here are their arguments: The Palestinian Authority will collapse; Israel will effectively kill the two-state solution and eventually become a minority within its own binational state; the peace treaty with Jordan will be rescinded; normalization with Arab Gulf states will halt; European nations will apply sanctions on Israel; Democrats will distance themselves even further, and the Trump administration will be angered.

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Sounds pretty bad. As David Horovitz of The Times of Israel summarized, such a move "not only damages the way we are perceived around the world, it remakes the way we present and see ourselves."

The statement is reminiscent of the infamous argument of inferiority made by 10 of the 12 Jewish spies who gave a negative report to Moses and the Jewish people, just as the young nation was getting set to enter the Promised Land for the first time: " … We were like grasshoppers in our eyes, and so we were in their eyes." That report, which commentators consider a fundamental Jewish error, led to the Israelites having to wander the desert for 40 years. And the date of the spies' report — the ninth day of the Jewish calendar month of Av, Tisha B'Av—has been a day of Jewish mourning for centuries.

In rehashing the same unfounded biblical fears, what is clear is that modern critics are hyper-concerned with the optics of an Israeli administrative move, despite the simple fact that Israel's action would not change any facts on the ground.

Changing status, applying Israeli law

Many of today's critics specifically call Israel's upcoming move an "annexation" because the politically charged term falsely implies that Israel will be marching across a line and taking over property it has no rights to and does not currently control. Yet what Israel is about to do is alter its own governing structure and formally apply Israeli law to the 400,000 Jewish citizens who already live in the strategic lands the Jewish state has controlled for decades.

The land in question represents approximately half of the territory delegated to Israeli control by the now infamous Oslo Accords. This territory is legally referred to as "Area C."

"Area A" and "Area B" are under Palestinian administrative control. Neither Israel nor the international community interferes in how Palestinians govern or don't govern those territories. At present, not a single Jew resides in these areas.

Jews living in "Area C" are full, tax-paying Israeli citizens. The Israeli government administers these territories and maintains the daily life of its Jewish residents. Such basic services include providing for physical safety, funding infrastructure, paving streets, supplying electricity and water, collecting garbage, and so on.

With the move, Israel would demilitarize its administration of key settlement blocs by simply removing the authority of an Israel Defense Forces-controlled "Civil Administration" originally set up to govern settlements.

The move signifies that Israel is confident of its ability to defend residents in settlements just as it defends the lives of all other Israelis. More importantly, the move jettisons layers of bureaucratic discrimination affecting Jewish settlers who are governed differently from their friends and family members living barely 10 to 20 minutes away.

For example, instead of needing the approval of the Defense Ministry to build a new apartment complex in Judea, approval would now be required by Israel's Housing Ministry, which regulates such measures across the rest of the otherwise-small Jewish state.

Just as nobody tells the Palestinian Authority how to govern the territories it administers, Israel's decision over how to govern "Area C" should be of little concern to anyone who doesn't live there.

For all the criticism now being hurled at Israel's unity government, the Jewish state is not about to march across a line or border or to claim even an inch of new territory. It's not about to advance a single tank or soldier or place its flag anywhere that it has not already been proudly hanging for decades.

As such, the move poses no threat to the sustainability of the Palestinian Authority or to Israel's critical relations with Jordan.

On the contrary, Israel's footprint in Judea and Samaria is actually about to be frozen within specific geographic parameters approximately half the size of the territory it currently and legally controls in order to protect the remote prospects for a future Palestinian state.

Four-year building freeze

In exchange for American recognition and to give the administration's new "Peace for Prosperity" plan a chance to succeed, Israel is now set to undertake an unprecedented four-year freeze of building in much of the key areas it already controls. According to the terms discussed between the Israeli and US administrations, Jerusalem is promising to implement a freeze on the building of any new Jewish infrastructure outside the perimeter of existing settlement blocks.

These tracts are being set aside in the unlikely scenario that Palestinians will comply with the basic requirements necessary for statehood as laid out by the current US administration, in coordination with Israel. These requirements include the cessation of a $150 million-plus annual pay-to-slay terror financing scheme; stopping all forms of terror incitement; financial transparency; free and open parliamentary and presidential elections; and the complete disarmament of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, which includes tens of thousands of rockets currently stockpiled for use against Israel.

Perhaps instead of criticizing Israel for its legal maintenance of the territories it controls, critics should press on the Palestinian Authority to start behaving like a peaceful actor.

And while opponents of Israel's administrative move suggest that it further harms prospects for the creation of a Palestinian state, the building freeze actually protects those prospects—even as Palestinians continuously violate their obligations under the Oslo Accords and have failed to lay even the most basic foundations for a lasting peace, let alone responsible statehood.

It is for that reason that many members of Israel's nationalist right-wing are vehemently opposed to the Trump administration's Mideast vision.

After years of absorbing and countering Palestinian terror, opponents argue that the last thing Israel needs to do right now is give Palestinians yet another opportunity for statehood when they have done nothing to earn it.

Yet a Palestinian state is in no way an automatic outcome of the four-year building freeze. A 10-month settlement building freeze demanded by former President Barack Obama in 2009 did nothing to further advance the cause of peace—not to mention that Israel received absolutely nothing in return for its gesture.

Now Israel is preparing to freeze building in key territories for several years. The United States is willing to return the gesture by recognizing Israeli sovereignty in the lands in which it recognizes are likely to remain a part of Israel in any bilateral negotiation.

US recognition of sovereignty follows a recent declaration to Israeli leaders by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo that "we will no longer recognize Israeli settlements as per se inconsistent with international law," adding that this conclusion "is based on the unique facts, history and circumstances presented by the establishment of civilian settlements in the West Bank."

Those who argue that Israel is pushing the limits of the US-Israel relationship are ignoring Pompeo's statements, as well as the fact that the land that Israel will now apply sovereignty over was mapped out over several months by a joint Israeli and American committee that includes US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman and Israel's Ambassador to the United States Ron Dermer.

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America is fully prepared to recognize Israel's efforts, and it will do so specifically because its leaders believe that the move is just and will not trigger any of the potential harms being warned by the consistent critics of Israel's policies.

Support should not only come from a friendly US administration but from anybody who claims to support a free and democratic State of Israel.

Reprinted with permission from JNS.org.

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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.

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"I fervently hope to see participation by all Palestinians, whether in the West Bank or in the Gaza Strip or in Jerusalem and in the Palestinian diaspora – each according to his circumstances," Fatah party Secretary-General Jibril Rajoub said on Sunday.

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While endorsed by the United States as part of President Donald Trump's Middle East peace plan, the controversial sovereignty initiative has been rejected by the Palestinians and the international community, with the United Nations, European Union, and moderate Arab states warning it would doom the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.

The largest event will take place in Jericho, in the presence of representatives of the European Union, the United Nations, and Jordan.

"Our participation in the rally will be absolutely in accordance with the instructions of the Ministry of Health, regarding social distancing, wearing a mask, and obeying all safety instructions," said Rajoub.

The protest announcement comes just hours after Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh announced that the Palestinian Authority will reimpose coronavirus restrictions on movement and gatherings in the West Bank after detecting a recent jump in COVID-19 cases.

"We do not expect people to arrive from [West Bank] areas that have registered coronavirus cases, but wherever the virus has not yet appeared, come by private cars or in trucks," Rajoub said.

"This mobilization is neither that of Fatah, nor that of Hamas – it is that of the entire Palestinian people, at all levels of society," he added.

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Rajoub ended his comments by slamming Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying he has "the logic of a neighborhood gangster." While Netanyahu may have been elected through a democratic vote, "so were Hitler and Mussolini," he added.

Parts of this article were originally published by i24NEWS.

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While endorsed by the United States as part of President Donald Trump's Middle East peace plan, the controversial initiative has been rejected by the Palestinians and the international community, with the United Nations, European Union, and moderate Arab states warning it would doom the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.

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Netanyahu, who plans to pursue the move next month, said he would do so regardless of any reservations expressed by Gantz, his partner in the national unity government.

In their meeting on Friday, Gantz reportedly stressed that any version of the plan must be thoroughly scrutinized. He reportedly urged only a small-scale implementation of the plan, despite the fact that Trump's outline allows the government to apply Israel law to 30% of Judea and Samaria.

Gantz added that any move concerning the Jordan Valley must be fully coordinated with Jordan so as not to undermine the peace treaty between the two countries.

Blue and White's leader further said that a way must be found to preserve the rights of Palestinian residents living in the areas that will undergo a status change.

Netanyahu has stated that the Palestinian communities in these areas will become "enclaves" under limited self-rule, with Israel maintaining security control.

Sources privy to the meeting told Israel Hayom that while some progress has been made, the two were still "not on the same page."

Meanwhile, Israeli Ambassador to the US Ron Dermer published an opinion piece in The Washington Post on Friday, saying that "the extension of Israeli sovereignty to certain territories in Judea and Samaria will not, as many critics suggest, destroy the two-state solution. But it will shatter the two-state illusion."

Dermer contended that applying Israeli sovereignty will open the door to a realistic two-state solution, writing, "The hard truth is that for the past 25 years, international leaders and policymakers have been unwilling to admit that they never had the Palestinians onboard for a genuine two-state solution. And in constantly moving the goalpost to get them on board, they have now lost Israelis as well."

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Other protesters carried placards with a photograph of Eyad al-Hallaq, the special needs man who was shot and killed last week by Border Policemen in Jerusalem.

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The Israel Police said in a statement following the demonstration that a handful of protesters remained at the scene and disrupted the public order and blocked traffic. At around 1 a.m. all roads were reopened. Five protesters who physically resisted being dispersed were arrested and taken in for questioning.

During the rally, demonstrators also kneeled in memory of George Floyd, the African-American man who was killed by police officers in Minneapolis.

Joint Arab List Chairman MK Ayman Odeh and said in a recorded speech that was shown at the anti-sovereignty rally: "We are at a crossroads. One path leads to a joint society with true democracy and civil and national equality for Arab citizens. It is a future where both peoples realize their right to self-determination – an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel. The second path will lead us to hate, violence, annexation and apartheid. A country that will eternally live by the sword and devote itself to violent control of another people. In this reality, a child's future will be determined by his nationality, and all his life he will be a second-class citizen.

"Today this country is turning right and we have to turn left. Today it is turning toward dictatorship, and we need to turn toward democracy. When they turn toward annexation and perpetuating the occupation, we will fight for peace and democracy. They want to isolate us," he said.

Odeh continued, "Three things have brought about the end of occupations: rejection by the occupied people, resistance from within the occupying country, and international public opinion. We are in the second circle. Similar to Martin Luther King Jr. and the Americans who opposed the war in Vietnam, the French who opposed the occupation of Algiers, and the Four Mothers movement and Women and Black who fought the occupation of Lebanon, we are also continuing in their footsteps. And like them, we will also win."

Meretz Chairman Nitzan Horowitz also addressed the crowd, saying that "annexation is a war crime that will cost us in blood. [Benny] Gantz, [Gabi] Ashkenazi, [Amir] Peretz, [Avi] Nissenkorn – responsibility will fall on you. You don't have a mandate, literally and figuratively, you don't have the mandate to foist apartheid upon us."

Protest organizers, who united 33 organizations, argue that unilaterally imposing Israeli sovereignty will impair efforts to promote future negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians.

Around half of Israelis support annexation, according to a recent opinion poll.

The organizers also screened a video address by US Democratic Senator Bernie Sanders.

"It has never been more important to stand up for justice, and to fight for the future we all deserve," Sanders said. "It's up to all of us to stand up to authoritarian leaders and to build a peaceful future for every Palestinian and every Israeli."

Sanders added that Israel's "illegal" sovereignty initiative must be stopped and called for end to the "occupation."

Cyber and National Digital Matters Minister Dudi Amsalem said on Twitter after the rally: "The only Zionist answer we have to people waving red flags and PLO flags in the center of Tel Aviv – applying Israeli sovereignty over swathes of the homeland!"

Rally organizers said in a statement: "Yes to peace and democracy, no to annexation and no to occupation. We are calling for a stop to the annexation that will further entrench the occupation and we are coming out to demonstrate for democracy and peace with a Palestinian state alongside Israel.

"We want a tomorrow clean from occupation and bloodshed, in which we can all live in real security. We will protest in Tel Aviv against annexation and for peace and hope, against racism and on behalf of the power of partnership. [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu and [US President Donald] Trump are reinforcing a violent reality of hatred and segregation, and now they want to divide and annex parts of the West Bank, uproot residents, and deny citizenship from Israel's Arab citizens from the Triangle region and Wadi Ara. If this happens – it will eliminate any hope for a solution. But we know there is another way, equal and just, of two states, for which we need to fight."

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Netanyahu has set July 1 as the date to begin advancing the plan to apply sovereignty in the Jordan Valley and parts of Judea and Samaria, hoping for a green light from Washington.

Palestinians have rejected the Trump administration's peace proposal and have voiced outrage against Israel's sovereignty bid.

Warning of possible violence and diplomatic repercussions, some European and Arab states, together with the United Nations, have urged Israel not to move ahead with the initiative.

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