Netanyahu proposes sovereignty plan September 10th 2019
Netanyahu proposes sovereignty plan September 10th 2019Hadas Parush/Flash90

While Israel agreed Thursday to suspend its plan to apply sovereignty over parts of Judea and Samaria in order to seal a peace deal with the United Arab Emirates, the implications of that concession remain unclear.

A senior Israeli official said Thursday afternoon that while Israel has agreed to hold off on formally announced its sovereignty plan in the short-term, the ‘suspension’ is only a temporary delay.

“The sovereignty plan is still on the table, and we’re obligated to it,” the official said. “The Trump administration has asked us to temporarily delay the declaration in order to first reach the historic peace deal with the United Arab Emirates.”

That being said, the sovereignty plan is not expected to be formally proposed in the near future, and likely not before the US presidential elections in November.

The United Arab Emirates’ Khalifa bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and President of the United Arab Emirates, said Thursday afternoon that the agreement would “stop further annexation” in Judea and Samaria.

“During a call with President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu, an agreement was reached to stop further Israeli annexation of Palestinian territories. The UAE and Israel also agreed to cooperation and setting a roadmap towards establishing a bilateral relationship.”

But sources within the Likud downplayed Israel’s commitment to “suspend” its sovereignty plan.

“For the first time in history, Netanyahu got ‘peace in exchange for peace’,” a senior Likud official said, downplaying Israel’s suspension of the sovereignty plan.