Will sovereignty issue derail unity talks?

Fundamental disagreements between Likud and Blue and White on the matter of applying Israeli sovereignty in the Jordan Valley are hampering unity talks. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wants the new government to implement the move, but Blue and White has expressed its reservations.

According to the Trump administration’s peace plan, Israel will be allowed to apply its law in the Jordan Valley, northern Dead Sea region and Israeli communities in Judea and Samaria. The move could be implemented after the joint Israeli-American mapping committee finishes drawing up the map to determine which areas become Israeli.

The committee has convened several times to this point and continues to work on a partial basis even amid the coronavirus pandemic. The Trump administration, however, wants Israel to apply sovereignty only after a unity government with a parliamentary majority is established — which is one of the reasons the move is still forthcoming.

In talks between Likud and Blue and White, Netanyahu and his team have raised the sovereignty issue as a central demand. According to Likud officials, “Sovereignty was a fundamental issue presented from the outset to avoid misunderstandings.” It should be noted that the Trump plan, particularly the matter of Israeli sovereignty, is the crown jewel of Netanyahu’s foreign policy efforts. He has said on dozens of occasions that he intends to advance the measure and has even cautioned that the historic opportunity to implement it could never return.

MORE: https://www.israelhayom.com/2020/04/02/will-sovereignty-issue-derail-unity-talks/