Reflecting partisan differences over Israel’s annexation plans for portions of the West Bank, a majority of Republican members of the US House of Representatives have signed a letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu endorsing Israeli annexation of settlements in the West Bank.
The letter, which Asharq Al-Awsat obtained a copy of, has so far garnered 116 signatures out of 198 Republicans in the House at a time when Democrats are pressing Israel not to go ahead with annexation.
“We write to reaffirm the unshakeable alliance between the United States and Israel, to emphasize that Israel has the right to make sovereign decisions independent of outside pressure, and to express our support for you as you make such decisions in your capacity as Israel’s democratically-elected prime minister,” said the letter sent Netanyahu.
They said they were “deeply concerned by threats being expressed by some to retaliate against Israel as it makes decisions to ensure defensible borders.”
They declared support for “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.”
These statements angered Democrats who had previously warned Israel that any unilateral decision to annex settlements would harm the historical ties between the US and Israel.
Democrats including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, Sens. Ben Cardin and Robert Menendez expressed their disapproval of the action.
“A sustainable peace deal that ensures the long-term security of Israel and self-determination for Palestinians must be negotiated directly between the two parties,” they said in a statement.
“Unilateral annexation runs counter to those longstanding policies and could undermine regional stability and broader US national security interests in the region.”
In addition to these positions, more than 120 Democrats have signed a document opposing annexation, and the document's supporters are still seeking to sign more signatures to show the Democrats' strong opposition to the issue of annexation, at a time when 19 democrats wrote a letter to the Israeli leaders.
