Pompeo Commits to Moving Forward with West Bank Annexation During Visit to Israel 

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussed plans to annex parts of the occupied West Bank in Jerusalem Wednesday, as Israeli troops fatally shot a Palestinian teenager after clashes erupted in southern West Bank.Pompeo vowed to move forward the Trump administration’s “vision of peace” proposal to settle the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, saying, “There remains work yet to do, and we need to make progress on it.” The two leaders did not mention Wednesday’s violence, a continuation of clashes from the previous day that claimed the life of an Israeli soldier.Israeli soldiers take position as Palestinian demonstrators gather during a protest against expansion of Israeli settlements, in the West Bank village of Beita near Nablus, March 2, 2020.Netanyahu is eager to quickly annex parts of the West Bank, as U.S. President Donald Trump seeks reelection in November. Annexation would likely please Trump’s pro-Israel evangelical supporters and greatly reduce Palestinians’ chances of forming a state on territory Israel seized in the 1967 Arab-Israeli War.Pompeo, wearing a red, white and blue face mask, arrived in Tel Aviv and went directly to Jerusalem, bypassing Israel’s two-week coronavirus quarantine requirement for new arrivals.As he stood next to Netanyahu without wearing a mask, Pompeo, the first official to visit Israel since January due to the pandemic, said his visit was a “testament to our alliance.”State Department spokesman Morgan Ortagus said after the two men met, they also “discussed our nations’ ongoing efforts to mitigate the COVID-19 pandemic and counter Iran’s destabilizing influence in the region, as well as the steadfast U.S. commitment to Israel’s security.”U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo meets with Israeli Speaker of the Knesset Benjamin Gantz, in Israel, May 13, 2020. (Credit: State Department Photo by Ron Przysucha)Pompeo also met with Netanyahu’s new coalition partner, Benny Gantz, and the new government’s incoming foreign minister, Gabi Ashkenazi at the U.S. Chief of Mission Residence in Jerusalem before departing to the airport.Netanyahu and Gantz reached an agreement last month after three parliamentary elections over the past year resulted in deadlock. The pact allows Netanyahu to remain prime minister for 18 months, after which Gantz would also serve as prime minister for 18 months.The deal also specifies Netanyahu can begin executing plans to annex sections of the West Bank on July 1. Trump’s plan, which has been rejected by the Palestinians, would grant them limited statehood, while Israel would annex about 30% of the West Bank.Trump’s likely opponent in the November presidential election, presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden, has voiced opposition to Israel’s annexation plans.As Netanyahu continues to serve as prime minister, he is facing charges of accepting bribes, fraud and breach of trust. 
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