BEIRUT, LEBANON (6:40 P.M.) – U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said it was up to Israel to make decisions on whether to include parts of the occupied West Bank.
Pompeo told reporters that the expansion of Israeli sovereignty was a decision “made by the Israelis.”
With the deadline set by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on July 1 to start the annexation plan, Reuters said the cabinet of U.S. President Donald Trump began discussions on Tuesday on whether to give Netanyahu the green light for the annexation plan, which was condemned by the Palestinians and the U.S.’ Arab allies.
Meanwhile, U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres called on Israel to abandon the annexation plan, considering it disastrous and that it undermined the two-state solution and any renewal of negotiations.
