The Week Since the Plan: Israel Pushes Annexation, Trade War with PA, and Attacks on Gaza

• The Week Since the Plan: Israel Pushes Annexation, Trade War with PA, and Attacks on Gaza
  by Yumna Patel, https://mondoweiss.net/
  It’s been a whirlwind of a week in Palestine following the release of the Trump ‘Deal of the Century.’ While the backlash surrounding the plan has remained steady, with Palestinians continuing to protest and the local and international media focusing their coverage on the details of the proposal, a lot has happened in the week since the plan’s release.
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  Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s overeagerness to move forward with annexation has hit a few bumps in the road; the Palestinians are on the brink of a potential trade war with Israel; Israel has begun normalizing relations with more regional powers; tensions with Gaza spiked again; and Netanyahu quietly pushes for a population transfer of Palestinian citizens of Israel in the north.
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  Here’s the breakdown of what’s been happening in the aftermath of the Trump announcement:
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  Netanyahu’s annexation dreams interrupted
  Immediately following the release of Trump’s plan last week, Netanyahu announced that he would move towards full annexation of the Jordan Valley, the northern Dead Sea, and the hundreds of illegal settlements scattered across the West Bank.
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  According to the premiere and fellow Likud officials, he planned to make the move within days of the announcement. But just as quickly as Netanyahu jumped forward with annexation plans — which were given the stamp of approval in the US peace plan — he was shot back down.
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  In an unexpected move, senior advisor to Trump and the co-author of the plan, Jared Kushner, said he hoped Netanyahu would wait until after the Israeli elections on March 2 before moving ahead with any plans.
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  According to Kushner, the US administration would not support immediate annexation, preferring instead to have an established Israeli government when the move is made, as opposed to the current interim government being led by Netanyahu.
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  The EU also pushed back against Netanyahu and Trump’s plans for annexation, saying on Tuesday that “steps towards annexation, if implemented, could not pass unchallenged.” “In line with international law and relevant UN Security Council resolutions, the EU does not recognize Israel’s sovereignty over the territories occupied since 1967,” EU Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell said in a statement.
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  On Tuesday, Netanyahu backtracked on his earlier statements, announcing instead that he would wait until after the March elections to bring the topic of annexation before the Israeli parliament for a vote.
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  In a campaign event, Netanyahu said his party “won’t let such a great opportunity slip,” Haaretz reported. “We brought it and we’re here to make it happen, but in order to secure it, to secure Israel’s borders, to secure Israel’s future, I need … all Likud members to go out and vote.”
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  The premiere is under increasing pressure from his right-wing settler base, to whom he promised annexation during his election campaign last year. On Monday, a parade of settlers drove through the Jordan Valley on tractors, adorned with Israeli flags, demanding Netanyahu move ahead with annexation as fast as he can.
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