«Israel» OKs More Settler Units Ahead of Trump Call

Local Editor

The apartheid "Israeli" entity approved hundreds of new settler homes in occupied East al-Quds [Jerusalem] Sunday hours before Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke with President Donald Trump for the first time since his inauguration.

But a potentially explosive plan to annex a large West Bank "Israeli" settlement unilaterally was shelved until after Netanyahu and Trump meet face-to-face. Trump had already said he supports one of the entity's key demands - moving the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to al-Quds. He ignored a question Sunday about plans to move the embassy.

But the White House dispelled rumors that Trump had imminent plans to announce the move. It said it was only at the "very beginning" of discussing plans to move the embassy. The US, like all other countries, maintains its embassy in Tel Aviv, saying the conflicting claims to al-Quds must be worked out in negotiations.

Trump, however, faces heavy pressure from the Palestinians and Arab countries against moving the embassy. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas sent a series of messages to Trump urging him not to move the embassy and warning that he would revoke recognition of "Israel" if the move takes place.

Abbas met Sunday with Jordan's King Abdullah II in Amman. Jordan, which serves as the custodian of Muslim holy sites in Jerusalem, has warned that moving the embassy would cross a "red line."

"We discussed the possibility of moving the embassy, and we say that if this thing happens, then we have measures that we agreed to implement together with Jordan," Abbas said. "And we hope that the American administration will not do that."

Trump told reporters at the White House his call with the "Israeli" entity's premier was "very nice," without elaborating. Netanyahu said in a statement that Trump had invited him to a meeting in Washington in February and that they discussed the nuclear deal with Iran, the peace process with the Palestinians and other issues.

"Israeli" right-wing politicians had welcomed Trump's election, with hard-liners who oppose a Palestinian state hoping it will allow them to move forward with their goal of annexing most of the West Bank.

The US is the "Israeli" entity's most important ally, providing it with more than $3 billion per year in military aid, but former president Barack Obama grew frustrated with illegal "Israeli" settlement building.

He declined to veto a Dec. 23 UN Security Council resolution condemning settlements. Trump had called for the resolution to be vetoed.

In an initial move following Trump's inauguration, "Israeli" officials Sunday approved building permits for 566 settler units in annexed East al-Quds. "The rules of the game have changed with Donald Trump's arrival as president," al-Quds Deputy Mayor Meir Turjeman told AFP.

"We no longer have our hands tied as in the time of Barack Obama. Now we can finally build."

A draft bill to annex the Maale Adumim settlement in the occupied West Bank had been on the agenda for approval by a ministerial committee legislation Sunday.

There was no explanation for Sunday's delay. But earlier, an official in the "Jewish Home Party" said Netanyahu had been trying to delay the Cabinet vote at the request of the Trump administration, which did not want to be blind-sided by unilateral "Israeli" steps.

Annexing Maale Adumim unilaterally would set off alarm bells globally, with many warning that it would be another step toward dividing the occupied West Bank between north and south, making a contiguous Palestinian state difficult to achieve.

For some ministers who oppose a Palestinian state, that is precisely the point. "We have to tell the American administration what we want and not wait for orders from the administration," so-called "Justice" Minister Ayelet Shaked told "Israel's" army radio.

Some peace proposals had envisioned it becoming part of the "Israeli" entity in land swaps agreed with the Palestinians, but not unilaterally.

"Given ‘Maale Adumim's' critical location in the heart of the West Bank, the international community has for years been following with special concern all developments in this area, seen as a touchstone for the viability of a two-state solution," settlements watchdog "Ir Amim" said.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team