The United States relocated its embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem in May 2018. Two years later, Ambassador David Friedman stated that the Donald Trump administration will support Israeli plans for partial West Bank annexation under certain conditions.
In a May 6 interview with the right-wing Israel Hayom newspaper, Friedman explained that when the process of mapping the area to be annexed is completed, Israel would need to suspend settlement construction in the areas not to be annexed, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would need to propose to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas that they open negotiations on the basis of the Trump administration's Middle East peace plan. Then, and assuming that Netanyahu will get Knesset approval for an annexation plan, the United States will recognize Israel's sovereignty in the areas that the plan outlined. Israel Hayom will publish the full text of the interview on Friday.
