Netanyahu
NetanyahuMarc Israel Sellem/POOL

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu told Likud lawmakers Monday that the negotiations with the US over the application of Israeli sovereignty in Judea and Samaria were "not dependent" on the Blue and White party.

"We are in contact with the American team which is here in Israel," Netanyahu said at the weekly Likud faction meeting, adding that the negotiations with the US were being carried out "discreetly."

“The issue doesn’t depend on Blue and White. They’re not a factor one way or the other,” the prime minister said.

Netanyahu's clarification comes after Blue and White chairman and Alternate Prime Minister Benny Gantz suggested that sovereignty might not be applied soon after July 1.

During a meeting with US envoy Avi Berkowitz and US Ambassador to Israel, David Friedman Monday morning, Gantz said that July 1 is not "sacred" or set in stone for the application of sovereignty.

"The only thing that is holy right now is getting people back into the work cycle and to deal with the coronavirus," Gantz said.

Later, during the weekly Blue and White faction meeting, Gantz said that "anything which isn’t connected to the fight against the coronavirus can wait."

July 1st is the first day that the Likud can bring Netanyahu's sovereignty plan to the Knesset or the government.