Written by Whitney Webb; Originally appeared at Mint Press
In 2016, longtime Trump advisor, and current ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, said Trump would recognize Israel’s sovereignty over the entire West Bank if Israel “deemed it necessary.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, center, Republican U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham, right, and U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman visit the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, March 11, 2019. Ronen Zvulun | AP
After U.S. President Donald Trump announced that he planned to unilaterally recognize Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights — which is internationally recognized as Syrian territory — some powerful Israeli politicians are now petitioning Trump to also recognize Israeli sovereignty over Palestine’s occupied West Bank.
Though Trump casually announced that it was “time for the United States to fully recognize Israel’s Sovereignty [sic] over the Golan Heights” last Thursday, he made the U.S.’ recognition of Israel’s claim to the territory official on Monday, at a signing ceremony that was attended by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Trump’s willingness to use his executive power to grant Israeli land grabs “official recognition” — such as in Jerusalem and now the Golan — has emboldened far-right Israeli politicians who have long been eager to annex other territories.
Please, sir, may we have some more?
Following Trump’s announcement via Twitter regarding the Golan Heights, Israeli MK Bezalel Smotrich, a senior Israeli politician and deputy speaker of Israel’s parliament, stated, also on Twitter:
For 52 years, we’ve also been thriving in Judea/Samaria [Israeli name for the West Bank of Palestine]. Also of critical strategic, historic and security importance. It is time that we recognize our sovereignty. With God’s help we’ll move this forward soon, and hope for your [i.e., Trump’s] support then, as well.”
Smotrich’s tweet likely highlighted the West Bank’s alleged “critical strategic, historic and security importance” to Israel because Trump justified his upcoming recognition of the Golan Heights as Israeli by stating that the Golan Heights have a “critical strategic and security importance to the State of Israel and Regional Stability [sic].”
Smotrich, who has lived almost all his life in illegal settlements in the Golan Heights and the West Bank, is one of the Knesset’s most vocal promoters of Israel’s annexation of the West Bank. MintPress reported last year on a bill authored by Smotrich that would allow for the government regulation of 70 illegal Jewish-only settlements and allow Israeli Jewish citizens to purchase land in Area C of the West Bank, which accounts for roughly 60 percent of the total West Bank territory.
Smotrich and his political allies in the Jewish Home Party — who form part of the current ruling coalition led by Likud — have recently been pushing for Israel’s annexation of the West Bank so overtly that it prompted the UN to warn last July:
After years of creeping Israeli de facto annexation of the large swathes of the West Bank through settlement expansion, the creation of closed military zones and other measures, Israel appears to be getting closer to enacting legislation that will formally annex parts of the West Bank.”
Whether Trump would entertain yet another Israeli request for unilateral recognition of illegally held territory — such as the West Bank — is a matter of debate. While it is known that Trump’s largest political donor — Zionist billionaire Sheldon Adelson — was responsible for the Jerusalem move, it is not known if Adelson had a hand in Trump’s recent decision to recognize Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights.
President Donald Trump holds up a signed proclamation recognizing Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights, as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu looks on in the Diplomatic Reception Room of the White House in Washington, March 25, 2019. Susan Walsh | AP
However, the Golan Heights decision seems to be a combination of an effort to boost Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s chances of reelection in May as well as pressure from the U.S.-based oil company Genie Energy, which seeks to develop the large oil reserves in the Golan discovered in 2015. Genie Energy’s Israeli subsidiary, Afek, was granted exclusive drilling rights in the Golan by Netanyahu soon after the oil’s discovery and the company’s board is stocked with powerful people, including Jacob Rothschild, Dick Cheney and Rupert Murdoch, among others.
Past statements from long-time Trump advisor, and current U.S. ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, suggest that Trump is likely to honor Smotrich’s request if it is repeated by other Israeli politicians with pull in Washington or connections to Adelson. Soon after Trump won the 2016 election, Friedman claimed that Trump would support Israel’s annexation of much of the West Bank and even the entire West Bank, if Israel “deemed it necessary.”
The “Deal of the Century” meets Israel’s “Manifest Destiny”
Since then, the only likely impediment to Trump’s backing of such an effort would be the fate of the administration’s “Deal of the Century” aimed at brokering “peace” between Israel and Palestine. That deal, largely drafted by Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, would be severely undermined and essentially dead on arrival were Trump to recognize the West Bank as Israeli.
While Trump’s willingness to continue granting U.S. recognition of Israeli sovereignty over any more contested areas remains to be seen, what is clear is that his recognition of both Jerusalem and the Golan Heights as Israeli territory has emboldened powerful elements of Israel’s government that have long pushed for the country’s expansion in essentially every direction. Indeed, even if Trump decides to recognize the West Bank as “Israeli,” it is unlikely that far-right nationalist politicians in Israel would stop there, given their ambitions in the Sinai peninsula, Lebanon’s offshore gas fields, and elsewhere in the region.
Whitney Webb is a MintPress News journalist based in Chile. She has contributed to several independent media outlets including Global Research, EcoWatch, the Ron Paul Institute and 21st Century Wire, among others. She has made several radio and television appearances and is the 2019 winner of the Serena Shim Award for Uncompromised Integrity in Journalism.
Rule by decree is the end of the road for the zionists. Intentional or not Trump is undoing the entire zionist plan by giving the occultists exactly what they want. None of this is enforcable and it will not stop the resistance from rolling straight in to occupied Palestine. However, zionist rule by decree, does reinforce the untenable position of the US as a military and political power. At some point there will be a blood bath as the zionists finally break in their over reach – but for now the hebrews and their goyim are totally exposed as the complete imbeciles that they are. The MSM cannot even cover the fiasco – propaganda is limited to omission. It will be a shock to the matrix west when hundreds of thousands of occupiers start landing in New York all at once.
no they aren’t welcome on first nations lands!!they can’t come here after they leave there they will have to go back to poland and europe
Trump put arrogant Israel in big shit by making lots of Israel enemies.
…give them all of the rope that they need.
ya come on good little slave show the worlds how much of a good slave you are dump the trump!!
People historically become slaves when they refuse to fight for their land and liberty. The Palestinians were sold out by their own corrupt “leaders” and then divided. It is sad to say that the notion of Palestine is moot as long as the corrupt PA and equally disgusting Hamas remain divided and play power games. Every nation from Vietnam to Algeria, that gained independence and defeated far superior forces did it by a UNITED ARMED STRUGGLE.
Fair enough. But you should first of all dump the masters of trump and bibi.
Trump; our first openly Zionist president.
The fight for Palestine is only 70 years old, i will not live to see the end………..but Palestine will be free.
Could’ve guessed that a move like this would embolden the squatter scum.
Anyway, who the fk appointed the oompa loompa to hand out sovereignty rights??
West Bank, just as the Golan will become Israel’s in no time. And if Syria or Hezbollah is bold enough to attack Israel, ALL of Lebanon and Syria up to the Euphrates River will be under the control of Israel also
satanyahu’s nose is ALMOST as big as yours…almost…but not quite
Idiot, you hooked are having a hard time containing a totally embargoed Gaza, let alone controlling Syria. The last delusion to control Lebanon and annex the Litani did not work out to well. Now go get a nose job at US taxpayers expense, fuckwit!
hey sqatter Wraith
your squatter asses were kicked out of Lebanon on several occasions, the last being 2006. Not surprisingly you sqatters haven’t gone back in for another smack in the mouth. As for Syria, the best you lowlife thieves can do is hit & run attack from a distance..
The only thing you cockroaches can lord it over is defenceless women and children in Gaza. Most nations would be ashamed of such an act, but not you dirty scum of the universe.
Well the occupation of south Lebanon certainly didn’t work out too well for Israel last time around, over 250 IDF occupation personnel died there, prior to the 2000 withdrawal. The Israeli occupation of south Lebanon was a classic, self inflicted, own goal – it directly led to the creation of the powerful anti-occupation resistance faction – Hezbollah. Who have only continued to expand both their political and militia presence ever since – and proved capable of fighting the IDF ground forces to a stand-still and into a fighting retreat in 2006.
Their is one thing though that the ‘Jewish-master-race’ failed to calculate. The Goyim Are Waking Up https://20thcenturytruth.files.wordpress.com/2016/02/master-race.jpg
1.8 billion Muslims on earth and 1.8 billion Muslims are so useless that they cannot liberate even dozens of miles of land on the Golan. Muslims what are they good for? Good grief. What a failure.
The problem is that Islam is an Arab creed and the so-called Muslims are hardly monolithic or united. What people fail to realize is that almost every Muslim majority country is run by a corrupt despot or a family of foreign installed pimps from Saudis to Morocco. The Muslims have fallen too far behind in education, technology and civil society to make a united stand at this stage. But never underestimate their numbers. There are now over 1 BILLION men in the Muslim world in age 15-50 cohort and they are mostly unemployed and angry and the future will be quite telling.
Yes we cant win just steal it Trump global terrorists agenda.New USA democracy. Yes we cant win invade and take gold and oil money Trump will sabotaged power grids in Venezuela dirty mouth wash USA democracy.
Trump will do it “If Israel deemed it necessary”. Nice choice of words there: “Donald, you are our bitch and you know it”.
Amazon Indians must claim USA back.African American must also claim USA back from Trums white supremacist follower.Because what to you have to lose to dump all white racist imperialist.No more white monopoly capitalism. Currently black are the majority in USA,France,Sweden,Canada, Australia. Our Muslim brothers dominate Britain, Germany and Israel.All white ladies are dying for black,Indian and Muslims because of God given manhood.This let white guys become gays because there is nothing in the under pants.Their like inplanting to have babies.
You are as mad as the Mad Hatter, Mr. President……..who do you think you are….??? Hopefully you will lose the 2020 election before anymore damage is done……
I would like to see th other Arab countries unite against “Israel”……wipe then off the map……..