United States Ambassador to Israel Thomas Nides issued a warning last week over the possibility that Israel’s next government could extend full Israeli sovereignty to the West Bank.
In an interview with Kan News last Thursday, Nides said that he would fight against any attempt by Israel to annex to the lands won from Jordan during the 1967 Six Day War.
The ambassador’s comments came in response to lawmaker Yariv Levin (Likud) expressing hope that the new government will advance plans to officially annex the territories.
“We were one step away from application of sovereignty in Judea and Samaria and I hope that we will spend less time making statements and more time making progress through action.”
The ambassador balanced his statements by expressing his willingness to work with Likud leader Binyamin Netanyahu and the new government he’s expected to form, saying, “I want to start with a relationship with this government that is strong and enduring, I want to work closely with Prime Minister Netanyahu, I want to work closely with his government.”
“We have a very strong alley in the state of Israel, but there will be times when we will articulate where we believe our differences are.”
As US power wanes throughout the globe, Washington seems aware of the need to tread carefully with Israel in the wake of our recent election results.
The political factions eager to make themselves useful to US interests have lost the confidence of the Israeli people and the factions that appear to be gaining mass support and political strength are those actively pushing for policies that could potentially threaten American plans in the Semitic region.
It has been consistent bi-partisan US policy for over 50 years to press Israel to relinquish the territories won in 1967. Israel officially applying sovereignty to the West Bank would thwart American efforts to divide the country into two separate states.
While eager to prevent such a move, the Americans might be cautious not to antagonize what many expect to be an incoming government comprised of ideological nationalists less sympathetic to US interests than any previous coalition.
On Sunday, Netanyahu was given a mandate to form his government by President Yitzḥak Herzog at an official state ceremony.
As a result of receiving the recommendation of 64 lawmakers, Netanyahu has 28 days to form a coalition. If he fails to do so, the president has the discretionary power to grant him an additional 14 days.
Responding to the ceremony, the Yesh Atid party released a statement saying it’s “a black day for Israeli democracy.”
“We will never give up our country, its liberal values and we will not allow our children’s future to be harmed – we will fight united in the Knesset, in city squares, and on its bridges until we replace the government of destruction with the government of change.”
For political factions like Yesh Atid that envision the State of Israel as an outpost of Western civilization, “democracy” has nothing to do with empowering people but tends to generally be used as a synonym for westernization.
Israel is a Torah given land pledged to Abraham and questioned has to a guarantee.
As a result Hebrews had to learn the power of belief in G-d Almighty thru slavery and liberation. As we took a pledge (covenant) to be a G-d fearing nation at Mt. Sinai, we broke that pledge and have been in Exile, without a nation for 2,000 years. After a loss of 6 Million of our people (Holocaust). In 1948 we were liberated once more, and today we are the strongest country in the world bar none.
Most western countries including North America and the EU have forsaken G-d and now living in a Garbage can, with Iran and China holding the lid?
The more we play the game with Western rules, the more Israel stinks!
This election proves that we have come to our senses. Have a good day,
I have,
Jacques Villeneuve,
A Ger,