Senior aide to US President Donald Trump began a discussion on Tuesday whether the White House would give Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the green light to press ahead with his plan to annex settlements in the occupied Palestinian West Bank.
A US official and another source familiar with the matter said that the White House meeting was attended by Trump's son-in-law, his chief adviser Jared Kushner, Presidential National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien, Middle East envoy Avi Berkowitz and Ambassador to Israel David Friedman.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, added that Trump was not involved in the discussion, but American sources said he might attend later as the discussions continue.
Informal discussions
On Tuesday, the officials held what a source described as "informal internal discussions." The US official said that no decision had been reached at the meeting Kushner attended before leaving with the president on a trip to Arizona.
Washington has made it clear that it wants the Israeli unity government - divided on the issue - to reach a consensus before moving forward on any measures.
Informed sources said that among the main options expected to be discussed is a gradual process whereby Israel will initially announce sovereignty over several settlements close to Jerusalem, instead of 30% of the West Bank mentioned in the original Netanyahu plan.
The source went back to saying that the Trump administration did not close the door to a larger land-annexation process, but it feared that allowing Israel to move very quickly could dispel any hope that the Palestinians would eventually come to the table to discuss Trump's peace plan.
There are also concerns about Jordan's opposition to the annexation of lands, which is one of two countries that concluded a peace treaty with Israel, as well as opposition from the Gulf states that have gradually expanded the scope of their dealings with Israel over the past few years.
Demonstrations in Israel
About 2,000 Israelis demonstrated yesterday evening in Rabin Square, in central Tel Aviv, to protest against a plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank.
The demonstration was called by the Darkino movement (a non-governmental organization that calls for the establishment of a Palestinian state and opposes racism), according to Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper.
The demonstration was launched under the slogan "No to annex lands ... Yes to the economy and security." Among the participants was Amos Yadlin, the former head of the Military Intelligence Division (AMAN).
Power and enthusiasm
On Monday, the Palestinian presidency threatened to take tough and important decisions (which it did not disclose) if Israel implements its plan.
Ismail Haniyeh, head of the political bureau of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), called Tuesday - in a message sent to political parties and organizations and bodies in the Arab and Islamic world - for urgent action to confront the policy of annexing "criminal and racist" lands pursued by the "enemy government" (Israel).
Haniyeh pointed out that the Palestinian people, at this crucial historical stage in the history of the Palestinian issue, will face Zionist terrorism with comprehensive resistance, and will remain committed to defending their lands, rights and sanctities until the occupation is removed.
International call
Yesterday, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed his hope that Israel would hear global calls and not go ahead with annexing parts of the West Bank, which would undermine the two-state solution to the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
This came in an interview with Guterres with the Associated Press ahead of today's high-level meeting of the UN Security Council on the Middle East, and his most important item was "Trump's peace plan."
Netanyahu is counting on Trump's support for the plan, which has drawn condemnation from the Palestinians and US Arab allies.
Trump's proposal for Middle East peace, unveiled in January, includes US recognition of settlements - located on the land Palestinians want for their state - as part of Israel.
The settlements and the Jordan Valley
Encouraged by Trump's initiative, Netanyahu set July 1 as the start date for his project to extend Israeli sovereignty over the settlements and the Jordan Valley, in the hope of obtaining a green light from Washington.
Most of the countries of the world consider the settlements - on the occupied Palestinian lands - illegal, and Palestinian leaders have expressed their anger at the possibility of annexing parts of the West Bank.