JERUSALEM — White House senior adviser Jared Kushner said Washington wants Israel to wait until after its March 2 election before making any moves towards settlement annexation in the West Bank following the announcement of a U.S. peace plan. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told reporters on Tuesday, after President Donald Trump announced the U.S. plan, that he would ask his cabinet next week to approve applying Israeli law to Jewish settlements in the West Bank. Most countries consider Israeli settlements on land captured in war to be a violation of international law. The blueprint gives Israel much of what it has long sought, including U.S. recognition of its West Bank settlements and Israeli sovereignty over the Jordan Valley. Asked in the interview whether Washington would be supportive if support Israel if “they go ahead and annex,” Kushner said: “No.

Source: National Post January 30, 2020 09:33 UTC