Israeli Opposition Leader Gantz Pledges to Annex Jordan Valley

Israel’s Blue and White opposition leader Benny Gantz vowed Tuesday to annex the Jordan Valley if the elected prime minister in the upcoming March 2 election, according to Israeli media.

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During a tour of the region, Gantz said the Jordan Valley - located in the eastern occupied West Bank - “is the State of Israel’s eastern defensive wall in any future scenario,” and added it was “an inseparable part of the State of Israel.”

“After the elections, we will work to apply [Israeli] sovereignty on the Jordan Valley. We will do this in a nationally agreed process and in coordination with the international community,” he continued.

Yet - with the exception of the United States under the administration of President Donald Trump - the vast majority of the international community considers Israel's military occupation of the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip a breach of international law.

Gantz's comments come after Netanyahu said in December that he discussed with Trump about the possible annexation of the Jordan Valley and suggested that Washington was open to the move.

The candidate for the prime minister post also said he was hoping that Trump’s peace plan, colloquially known as the deal of the century, would be published before the election after he said weeks ago that such a plan would be a gift to incumbent Prime Minister Netanyahu and an “outright intervention.”

Last year Netanyahu acclaimed the plan headed by Trump’s son-in-law and adviser Jared Kushner, saying it presented a "historic opportunity" to extend Israeli sovereignty. The plan has been delayed until the formation of a new government, 

The Jordan Valley covers around one-third of the West Bank, and Israeli right-wing politicians have long viewed the strategic area as a part of the territory they would never retreat from.