President Trump’s Israel plan was loudly rejected by the Palestinians, but it’s the Israeli side that’s really proving a challenge, as the US struggles to slow them down, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tries to score political gains with a quick annexation.



US Ambassador David Friedman is warning Israel against any “unilateral” action, and warns any annexation must be consistent with a joint US-Israeli committee’s finding on the map.



Ironically, Friedman was the first to endorse an Israeli plan of annexation, and explicitly told them there was no need to wait to annex parts of the West Bank consistent with US plan language. Now, clearly, US officials are rethinking that.



An annexation would fuel a backlash against Israel, and the US. US officials are hoping to buy a bit of time, with Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner suggesting that finalizing the map could take a “couple of months.” That would get past the latest Israeli election.



Already a large political matter within Israel, settler leaders are pushing Netanyahu to “put the US in its place” and carry out the annexations as quickly as possible.

Author: Jason Ditz Jason Ditz is news editor of Antiwar.com. View all posts by Jason Ditz