
Former Israeli Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked (Yamina) slammed Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu Monday morning, accusing him of ‘caving’ to pressure from his coalition partners and Arab states, reducing the scope of his plan to apply Israeli sovereignty to parts of Judea and Samaria.
Speaking with Galei Tzahal Monday morning, MK Shaked claimed that the Jordan Valley had been removed from the latest version of the sovereignty plan.
“The plan that is now under consideration doesn’t include sovereignty over the Jordan Valley.”
“Netanyahu caved in to pressure from the Arabs and Blue and White, giving up on [the Jordan Valley].”
Shaked claimed she had received inside information regarding the latest version of the sovereignty plan.
“This isn’t the ‘Trump plan’ – it’s the ‘Netanyahu plan’. He’s designed it, and I assume that he can demand changes in it.”
On Sunday, Netanyahu hinted that the sovereignty plan would include the Jordan Valley, telling a virtual summit of Christians United for Israel (CUFI) that the plan would provide “Israel with defensible borders, including the strategic Jordan Valley”.
“Applying Israeli law to areas of Judea and Samaria that will remain part of Israel in any future peace deal will not set back the cause of peace, it will advance peace.”
Ahead of the September 2019 election, Netanyahu vowed to apply Israeli sovereignty over most of the Jordan Valley, with a pledge to later extend sovereignty over most Israeli towns in Judea and Samaria.
Following the release of the Trump administration’s Middle East peace plan in January, Netanyahu altered his sovereignty plan, calling for the application of Israeli law over about 30% of Judea and Samaria – including most of the Jordan Valley – under the framework of the Trump plan.
Under the coalition deal with Blue and White, Netanyahu is permitted to formally introduce his sovereignty plan to the Knesset and government only from July 1st.