Annexation: Resources and Reading

July 8, 2020
Posted by: Karen Stiller, Middle East Project Director

Anxiety about whether or not Israel will annex or extend sovereignty to parts or all of the West Bank has led to tremendous speculation and concern. To help the community parse the discussion, JCRC has gathered a compendium of the most informed analysis.

Congressional Letters

MAY 12 LETTER | Reps. Murphy (D), Kaine (D), Van Hollen (D), Schatz (D), Leahy (D), Durbin (D), Brown (D), Baldwin (D), Merkley (D), Udall (D), etc.
“…we write to express our grave concern with provisions in the recently concluded government agreement to consider unilateral annexation of Palestinian territory as early as this July. Such an action would mark a dramatic reversal of decades of shared understandings between the United States, Israel, the Palestinians and the international community, and would have severe ramifications for both Israel’s future and our vital bilateral and bipartisan relationship. … Annexation would betray our shared democratic values by denying Palestinians’ right to self-determination in a viable, sovereign, independent and contiguous state.”

JUNE 16 LETTER | Reps. Schakowsky (D), Deutch (D), Price (D), Schneider(D), Hoyer (D), etc.
 “We believe unilateral annexation, and unilateral action by any side, would jeopardize long-standing efforts to achieve a viable two-state solution that addresses the aspirations of both Israelis and Palestinians, and their desire for long-term security and a just, sustainable peace.”

JUNE 22 LETTER | McCarthy (R), Scalise (R), Cheney (R), McCaul (R) Rodgers (R), Zeldin (R), Kustof (R), etc.
“We are aware of and deeply concerned by threats being expressed by some to retaliate against Israel as it makes decisions to ensure defensible borders. It is shortsighted to threaten relations with Israel, a long-time friend and critical ally that shares our democratic values. We support the Trump administration’s engagement with Israel on the Vision for Peace Plan, which was based on the critical premise that Israel should never be forced to compromise its security. We assure you that we will stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Israel and oppose any effort to apply pressure.”

Organizational Statements

ADL
AIPAC
Alliance for Middle East Peace
American Jewish Committee
Portland JCRC
Progressive Israel Network
Rabbinical Assembly
Reform Action Center

News/Opinion

• Lots of bark, some actual bite? How the world will react to West Bank annexation (Times of Israel)
• Ron Dermer: We must stop pursuing a two-state illusion and commit to a realistic two-state solution (Washington Post)
• Applying Israeli Sovereignty to Parts of Judea and Samaria according to the U.S. Peace Plan – Implications, Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs (Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs)
• Donniel Hartman: Annexation Now? (Times of Israel)
• David H. Levitt: A Centrist’s View on Annexation (Times of Israel)
• Avi Bell, Kohelet Policy Forum: Palestinians and Israelis Will Both Gain From Israeli Sovereignty Over West Bank (Newsweek)
• New York Times Editorial Board: Annexing the West Bank Is a Brazen Violation of International Law (New York Times)
• Efraim Inbar: Netanyahu's Annexation Plan Can't Be Stopped (JISS)
• Israeli annexation will 'undermine US national security interests'- Pelosi (Jerusalem Post)
• I’m an Israeli settler. American Jews are debating my future, but here’s what they don’t understand. (J Weekly)
• Annexation will mean apartheid, warns Mandela ally who always fought comparison (Times of Israel)
• Dennis Ross: Netanyahu sees a historic moment in annexation. But he might not be seeing the risks (Washington Post)
• Udi Dekel, Lia Moran-Gilad, and Anat Kurz: Annexation under the Auspices of the Coronavirus (INSS Special Publication)
• Sarah Farb: Israel will lose my entire generation if it goes ahead with annexation (The Forward)
• David Makovsky: Annexing West Bank territory was once a taboo for Israel. No longer (Washington Post)
• Robert Satloff: I’m an ardent Zionist. But Israel’s annexation makes no sense (Washington Post)
• On annexation, Netanyahu must choose a lasting legacy (Times of Israel)
• Israel’s Rush to ‘Apply Sovereignty’ in the West Bank: Timing and Potential Consequences (Washington Institute)

Webinars & Podcasts

Israel Policy Forum

• The Road Ahead
• A Conversation With Ambassador Susan Rice (21 min)
• Leading Responsibly for US Interests (40 min) featuring: Gen. John R. Allen, President, Brookings Institution, Commander, NATO-ISAF and US Forces in Afghanistan, 2011-13; Michèle Flournoy, Co-Founder, Center for a New American Security, US Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, 2009-12; Amb. Daniel B. Shapiro, Distinguished Visiting Fellow, Inst. for National Security Studies, US Ambassador to Israel, 2011-17
• Leading Responsibly for the Community (40 min) featuring: Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO, ADL; Rabbi Rick Jacobs, President, Union For Reform Judaism; Sheila Katz, CEO, National Council Of Jewish Women; Richard Sandler, Former Chair, Jewish Federations of North America, 2015-18
• Leading Responsibly for Israeli Security (36 min) featuring: Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Gadi Shamni, Head Of IDF Central Command, 2007-09; Maj. Gen. (Res.) Danny Yatom, Director, Mossad, 1999-2001, Member of Knesset, 2003-08
• A Conversation with Ambassador Yousef Al Otaiba, current United Arab Emirates ambassador to the United States (16 min)
• A Message from Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (3 min)
• The International Angle – Potential Ramifications of West Bank Annexation
• Annexation in the Dark (Podcast)
• Israelis and Palestinians React to Annexation
• Israel’s Security Establishment Prepares for Annexation

Jewish Council for Public Affairs

• Increasing Sovereignty over areas in the West Bank: An Israeli Perspective with Professor Efraim Inbar, President, Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security (JISS), Eran Lehrman, Vice President, JISS, Dahlia Scheindlin, Pollster and Policy Analyst; Policy Fellow, Century Foundation, 6/8/20 (1.5 hours)
• Scenarios of Government & Civil Society Responses to Israeli Annexation of the West Bank with Rob Satloff, Executive Director, Washington Institute for Near East Policy, and Mara Rudman, Executive Vice President of Policy, Center for American Progress, 6/17/20 (1 hour)

JCRC of Greater Charlotte

• Annexation 101 with Dr. Michael Koplow, 05/26/20. To view additional IPF materials on proposed Annexation maps, click here. (1 hour)

JCRC of Greater Washington

• Implications of Annexation on the U.S.-Israel Relationship with Amb. Dennis Ross and Dr. Sara Yael Hirschhorn, 6/18/20 (1 hour)

Jewish Federations of North America

• Annexation: Will Israel apply sovereignty to areas of the West Bank, and what repercussions can we expect? Featuring former U.S. Ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro, Dr. Shira Efron, from the RAND Corporation, and Oded Revivi, Mayor of Efrat, 6/23/20 (1 hour)

Presbyterians for Middle East Peace

• Annexation Conversation with Mohammad Darwashe, faculty member at Shalom Hartman Institute and director of planning, equality and shared society at Givat Haviva Educational Center, 7/16/20 (1 hour)

General Background and Historical Background

Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, History of the State of Israel
Israel Policy Forum: Annexation watch
S. Daniel Abraham Center for Middle East Peace, Interactive Maps
White House: Peace to Prosperity, A Vision to Improve the Lives of the Palestinian and Israeli People
Washington Institute: Settlements and Solutions
Washington Institute: Interactive Map
Washington Institute: Exploring the Two State Solution with David Makovsky

 

PHOTO by Judith Scharnowski from Pixabay