Saeb Erekat
Saeb ErekatFlash 90

A senior Palestinian Authority leader accused the Trump administration of being ‘complicit’ in an alleged Israeli plan to “annex” Judea and Samaria.

Saeb Erekat, a member of the Palestinian Authority legislature who has served as a senior PA diplomat and spokesperson for the Fatah party, accused Israel of plotting to “annex” Judea and Samaria, and cited a statement by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu Monday as proof the US was ‘complicit’.

"Netanyahu's latest statement,” said Erekat, “confirms US complicity with Israeli colonial plans.”

Erekat further dubbed proposed Israeli legislation which would establish a framework for directly applying Israeli law to Israeli communities in Judea and Samaria as “land theft”

Earlier on Monday, Netanyahu told Likud party members at a faction meeting that he had discussed proposed legislation that would establish a framework for the application of Israeli sovereignty over Jewish towns in Judea and Samaria.

“With regards to the Sovereignty Law, I can tell you that for a while now I’ve been discussing the issue with the Americans,” Netanyahu said Monday.

It is crucial, Netanyahu continued, “to coordinate with the Americans as much as possible, since our ties with them are a strategic investment for both the State of Israel and the settlement enterprise. [Sovereignty] needs to be a government program, not a private effort, because this is a historic change.”

The bill in question, which was drafted by Land of Israel Lobby Chairman Yoav Kish (Likud), would not extend Israeli sovereignty over Judea and Samaria, but would establish what he called the “legislative mechanism” to apply sovereignty over Israeli towns in the future.

“This bill will allow cabinet ministers to set up a timetable [for the application of sovereignty],” said Kish. “It is the legislative mechanism will enable the application of [Israeli] sovereignty onto land in Judea and Samaria considered vitally important to the State of Israel.”