The Wall Street Journal: This is what Netanyahu risks by annexing the West Bank

SadaNews - A report published by the American newspaper The Wall Street Journal stated that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu - wanted by the International Criminal Court - could endanger years of normalization efforts if he decides to annex the West Bank in response to the pressures of his political allies. The report comes in the context of a wave of international recognition of Palestine, which has sparked calls within the Israeli government to take stringent steps against the establishment of a Palestinian state. The report - written by the newspaper's correspondent, Felice Suleiman - argues that Netanyahu's decision would threaten the Abraham Accords, which former President Donald Trump views as a significant success in foreign policy during his first term. While the annexation of the West Bank - either fully or partially - is considered the main option for Netanyahu, the report indicates that alternatives include tightening restrictions on the Palestinian economy or lowering consular relations with France, which plays a significant role in efforts to recognize Palestine. Netanyahu stated that he would respond firmly to these recognitions upon his return from the United Nations General Assembly this week in New York, according to the newspaper. The paper emphasized that the Prime Minister must carefully consider whether his decision to eliminate Palestinian hopes for statehood is worth harming Israel's relations with the Arab world and possibly the United States. Strategic Threat According to the newspaper, Arab governments have warned Israel in private diplomatic messages that the annexation of the West Bank would have serious consequences, including a reduction in relations between the two parties and undermining the Abraham Accords or preventing their expansion, which could negatively impact Trump's hopes of establishing himself as a peacemaker. The newspaper quoted a senior American official saying that Washington is aware that Netanyahu will respond to international recognitions, and is likely to support his response, without specifying whether this support would continue if the Abraham Accords were threatened. The paper stated that calls for the annexation of the West Bank had been escalating within Israel even before the international announcements, including right-wing ministers and members of the Likud party. On the ground, Netanyahu's tenure has witnessed a steady expansion in the construction of Jewish settlements in the West Bank, while the government has strengthened its control over the region's security and financial resources, according to the report. Recently, Israel decided - according to the Wall Street Journal report followed by SadaNews - to proceed with the establishment of a controversial settlement project that would isolate major Palestinian communities in the West Bank, thus complicating the prospects for the establishment of a Palestinian state. Arab countries consider Israel's annexation of the West Bank a red line, and the report confirmed that any step of this kind would pose difficult questions for Arab countries regarding the continuation of their relations with Israel.