No Annexation Today: What Happened?

For months, today was meant to be the day Israel applied sovereignty to Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria. But today is now expected to pass without any significant moves like this. The Jerusalem Post gives four reasons for the delay:

1. The U.S. wants to slow the process down, as it seeks to spearhead the move as part of President Trump’s Mideast Peace Plan and is preoccupied with the coronavirus response, appeasing the Palestinians, and nailing down the specifics about the move.

2. Benny Gantz, Israel’s defense minister and alternate prime minister, is seeking approval from more countries, hoping to avoid sanctions from European nations and loss of trust among Arab nations.

3. The Palestinian Authority has vowed to declare its own state if Israel follows through with its plan, but it is willing to restart negotiations for peace with Israel if the plan is cancelled.

4. Gantz and Israel’s Health Ministry are focused on combating the coronavirus immediately, which has spiked once more in the nation.

This whole situation is so fragile. The plan could send shockwaves throughout the region, bringing Israel’s enemies to their doorstep and losing allies in the process. But it’s also sensible that Israeli sovereignty be applied to Jewish areas, which of course are also part of God’s divine mandate to provide His Chosen People with land. Whatever happens, this deal will be a historic action, one we hope will benefit Israel without lighting a fuse in the Middle East.