Friedman, a staunch supporter of the Israeli settlement enterprise, told The New York Times that "under certain circumstances, I think Israel has the right to retain some, but unlikely all, of the West Bank."

Asked how the U.S. would respond if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would make good on a campaign promise to annex parts of Judea and Samaria, Friedman said, "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."

Following Friedman's interview, a U.S. State Department official said the administration's policy on Israeli settlements "has not changed."

Palestinian officials were outraged by the envoy's remark.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas issued a statement demanding Friedman's dismissal. A similar demand was voiced by the left-wing groups Peace Now and J Street.

The Palestinian Foreign Ministry announced Sunday that Ramallah was considering filing a complaint against Friedman with the International Criminal Court, for "jeopardizing peace and security in the Middle East," citing that under international law, recognizing Israeli sovereignty in the West Bank was illegal.

"Friedman is ignorant in political work and belongs to the state of settlers," Ramallah's Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

"Friedman's remarks are an extension of the U.S. administration's policy, which is fully biased in favor of the occupation and its expansionist colonial policies. The remarks of the settler Friedman expose the truth about him and his ideas, as well as those of his settler peers.

"We are studying whether his racist rhetoric is sufficient to file a complaint against him with the International Criminal Court for trying to impose his racist visions and threatening peace and security in the region, as well as exposing the Palestinian people to several dangers and conspiracies.

"What reasoning could justify Friedman's logic that Israel has the right to annex parts of the West Bank? International law prohibits the annexation of land by force, as well as a reality imposed by occupying powers," the ministry said.

Senior Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said Friedman's remarks proved that U.S. President Donald Trump's administration was heavily biased in favor of Israel and that the Palestinians were justified in choosing to boycott an economic conference in Bahrain later this month where Washington is set to unveil the first phase of a long-delayed peace plan.

Another Palestinian official, Mustafa Barghouti, called Friedman a "spokesman for the settlers" and said his comments amounted to "chutzpah."

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Danny Danon told a group of reporters he thinks the U.S. will present the plan between May and the summer.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged in the final stretch of his campaign that he would annex the settlements if he was re-elected. He was asked Wednesday to form a government following his election victory.

Danon sidestepped a question on what Israel would gain from annexing the settlements, saying, "I don't think we will see any major action by our government before the peace plan will be presented."

He called Judea and Samaria "disputed territory according to international law, but we acknowledge that the Palestinians will stay there and will live there."

But, he added, "We don't hear recognition from the other side that there are Jews living there, and they should accept that."

He said Israel has no intention of annexing major Palestinian cities, including Nablus and Ramallah, but will focus on places where there are a majority of Jews.

Noting that new Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh has already said the U.S. peace plan is "dead on arrival," Danon urged Palestinians and their supporters to be "open-minded" and study the plan.

"Hopefully, there will be a Palestinian leader, or leadership, that will look at the benefits for the Palestinian people," he said.

"The Palestinians for the last 71 years always said 'no' to everything," he said, starting with their rejection of the November 1947 United Nations plan to partition Palestine at the end of the British mandate into independent Arab and Jewish states.

"We believe at the end they will have to engage with Israel," Danon said. "They will have to recognize Israel, and they will have to live with Israelis. ... So the sooner they will acknowledge that, the better it will be for the Palestinians."

As for Netanyahu's election victory, Danon said it looks like the governing coalition likely to emerge under the prime minister "will be a very similar coalition" to the previous government he led.

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