Trump, Netanyahu reset election with annexation surprise

When Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu withdrew his request for immunity on Jan. 28, he already knew that he had lost the battle and that he would not be getting immunity. Later that day, at 7:00 p.m. Israeli time, Netanyahu stood beside President Donald Trump at the White House and laid out his legacy for posterity. With that, he reshuffled the deck for the next round of Israeli elections in March.

Trump's plan for resolving the conflict with the Palestinians — which Netanyahu helped shape over the last three years and is commonly referred to the “deal of the century” — has made history. Not only does it shatter the paradigm of the Oslo Accords, the diplomatic basis over the past three decades for everything done in this regard by successive Israeli governments and the United States. The plan also redraws Israel’s borders for generations to come, if only de facto and unilaterally.

Trump gave Netanyahu the green light to immediately annex territory, and the prime minister doesn’t plan on wasting time doing so. Netanyahu intended to bring his plan for the first stage in the annexation of the Jordan Valley and all the settlements to the government for its approval as early as Feb. 2. Tourism Minister Yariv Levin said on Jan. 29, however, that discussion in the Cabinet would be delayed for technical reasons. In any case, this is such an inconceivable development that its significance has yet to be fully understood. It could very well lead to a fresh outbreak of violence.

The event occurred on the very day that Netanyahu became the first prime minister in Israel’s history to be charged with bribery while in office. The indictment against him was filed with the Jerusalem District Court soon after he gave up on his quest for immunity. The event at the White House was so surprising and monumental that it pushed the indictment to the farthest reaches of the day’s news.