A Hebrew report stated that the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump opposes Israel's government's implementation of a plan to annex areas in the West Bank at this stage.
Washington considered that a unilateral annexation by the Israeli government would harm the alleged American "deal of the century", and would permanently force the Palestinian leadership not to respond to the American plan.
“U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's visit to Israel later this week, on his first foreign trip since the novel coronavirus pandemic, comes to convey the American position on the issue of “Annexation” to officials in Israel,” said Shlomo Shamir, a Hebrew newspaper Maariv correspondent in New York.
Shamir, quoting diplomats in New York, pointed out that the main purpose of Pompeo's visit is to ask the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and persuade him to postpone and suspend the annexation plan indefinitely.
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Netanyahu[/caption]
According to the Hebrew report, despite statements by American officials, including Pompeo himself, that "annexation" is a "pure Israeli decision", and that the Israeli government will have to make it according to its policies and strategy, President Donald Trump opposes a decision regarding the annexation as part of an Israeli unilateral move.
Shamir quoted analysts as saying that the White House expects that after the elections in Israel and the formation of a new government, the alleged "American peace plan", known in the media as the "Deal of the Century", will move to the stage of practical implementation.
Trump Believes in Negotiations Before Annexation
However, the American administration has not lost hope for a possible Palestinian response with gradual implementation of the plan, according to other media reports.
Maariv newspaper extracts excerpts from an article by the American Zionist writer and director of the Middle East Forum in New York Daniel Pipes, which was published by the U.S. newspaper "New York Times" last weekend, in which he presented six reasons that he considered answering the question: "Why should Israel Refrain from carrying out the annexation during this stage?"
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Trump's Recognition of Golan Heights as Israeli Territory[/caption]
"Israel 's taking this step will provoke Trump's anger, as the latter considers that such a move is possible only through negotiations with the Palestinians,” Pipes stressed.
He added that "if Israel continues to implement only some parts of the “deal of the century” ignores the rest of the plan, it will provoke Trump to express his dissatisfaction with his notorious manner," he added.
Pompeo to Listen to Mossad Chief
Shamir pointed out that the Iranian file is one of the main files that Pompeo will discuss during his visit, with Netanyahu and his partner in the new government, Benny Gantz.
The newspaper revealed that the U.S. Secretary of State asked to meet with Mossad chief Yossi Cohen in order to "listen to his assessments and conclusions about the Iranian threat", instead of listening to the "frightening statements" issued by Netanyahu in this regard.
The meeting with Cohen will focus on the situation in Iran and the ongoing U.S. sanctions, as well as the results of the Israeli strikes in Syria.
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US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo[/caption]
According to a statement issued by the U.S. State Department, Pompeo will arrive in Israel next Wednesday, to discuss "security issues related to the Iranian role in the region.”
And the American Al-Monitor website quoted diplomatic sources as saying that Pompeo's lightning visit aims to coordinate positions between the U.S. administration and the new Israeli government regarding the Israeli annexation of settlements in the West Bank, scheduled for next July.
Pompeo's visit also aims to dispel Israeli fears of an expected easing of U.S. sanctions on Iran, and an exchange of information on Israeli strikes in Syria aimed at reducing the Iranian presence there.”
Moreover, the visit may express the U.S. unease over the vast Chinese investment in Israel recently.
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