RAMAT GAN, ISRAEL – MARCH 01: Benny Gantz, Blue and White Party leader leaves after making a statement to the press on March 1, 2020 in Ramat Gan, Israel. Israelis will head to the polls tomorrow for the third time in less than a year. (Photo by Amir Levy/Getty Images) Blue and White Party leader Benny Gantz is ready to accept a limited annexation of territory in Judea and Samaria, possibly bringing a unity agreement between Gantz and incumbent Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu closer to reality, according to Israeli media reports.
Israel’s Channel 13 reported on Saturday night that Gantz may be willing to accept the annexation of settlement blocs west of Israel’s security barrier as a part of a peace initiative in full coordination with the Defense Ministry, which he will lead under a unity agreement. Such efforts would begin only after the coronavirus threat has ended, according to the report.
Disagreements about annexation have been one of the central sticking points between the two parties during negotiations, with Gantz opposing Netanyahu’s plan to unilaterally annex all Jewish communities in Area C, as well as the Jordan Valley.
According to the report, Gantz is sticking to his opposition to annexing the Jordan Valley, over worries that it could jeopardize the Israel-Jordan peace agreement.
The report comes after weeks of negotiations between Gantz and Netanyahu, who are trying to reach a unity deal following Israel’s third election cycle in one year.
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