Member of Knesset Ambassador Danny Danon, the chairman of the World Likud, and Israel's former ambassador to the United Nations, is preparing a bill to allow Israel to formally annex the Jordan Valley region, a move that if approved will give Israel full and immediate sovereignty over the territory.
"The annexation of the Jordan Valley is a significant issue for Israel from a historical, economical as well as crucially, from a security perspective," Danon said in a statement to Newsmax. "We know that there is support for the application of Israel's sovereignty of the Jordan Valley, both in the government's coalition as well as in the opposition. I am optimistic that many MKs on both sides of the aisle will voice their support. There is no better time to apply sovereignty and we must join forces to do so imminently."
The push replaces what has been a slow, gradual approach for annexation, and the proposed draft bill has been supported by David Elhayani, Jordan Valley Regional Council chairman, as well as several MKs and parties both opposition and in the coalition.
If the bill passes, it will mark the first time that Israel would extend sovereignty over the areas of Judea and Samaria since the 1967 Six-Day War.
The Jordan Valley makes up roughly 30% of the West Bank.
The bill, shared with Jewish News, states that the law's purpose is for the "full application of Israeli law to all areas of the Jordan Valley," which includes the "industrial areas that serve them, the archaeological sites in the area and the access roads to these areas."
If approved, the annexation could bring international condemnation, the publication notes, as most countries consider West Bank settlements illegal under international law.
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told USA Today before the November midterms that he has a plan for annexing the West Bank settlements but he did not think that would happen with President Joe Biden in office.
"Would I do it unilaterally? No, I said that right from the start," Netanyahu said. "I would not, because I would like to do it with the understanding and support of the United States. We were on the verge of getting it. I think that if I'm reelected, I will get it. I have plans on how to get it."
Netanyahu has long called for the annexation, including in 2019, when he insisted that Israel has the "full right" to annex the Jordan Valley if it chooses and said he and then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had met and agreed to move forward with plans for a joint defense treaty.
The Jordan Valley contains 30 Israeli settlements and kibbutzim, with 22 belonging to the Jordan Valley Regional Council, notes Jewish News. Seven others are in the Dead Seas Scrolls Regional Council and the Ma'ale Ephraim local council.
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