Preparations are continuing in Israel to implement the plan to annex Palestinian lands from the occupied West Bank, which the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced the possibility of revealing, as of today, July 1.

Israel's allies and opponents have unanimously condemned the move as a dangerous escalation that would destabilize the security and stability of the Middle East.

Britain's "Middle East Eye" website published an article by Daniel Hilton, who tried to provide answers to nine major questions about the plan to understand the aims of Israel and its implications in the future.

1- What is the Israeli government seeking?

The author believes that what Israel aims is not yet clear, but the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced its intention to annex up to 30% of the West Bank, including illegal settlements, the strategic Jordan Valley and the northern Dead Sea.

It is unlikely that the annexation of these large areas will be announced in one go, and some officials have indicated during interviews in the Israeli media that the plan can be implemented in stages, in an attempt to appease Jordan, whose King Abdullah II warned that annexing the Palestinian lands might lead to "conflict". Widespread, "he refused to answer the Israeli Prime Minister's calls many times.

2- What are the expected scenarios?

The author believes that there are several possible plans for the annexation process that have been under discussion, and the results are all catastrophic for the Palestinians.

The first scenario requires the annexation of all lands classified as Area C in the West Bank, which Israel controls under the Oslo agreements signed with the Palestinian Authority, and this includes the Jordan Valley and all illegal settlements that contain about 400,000 Israeli settlers.

The second scenario includes annexing the Jordan Valley to Israel, which is a very strategic and resource-rich area, currently inhabited by 56 thousand Palestinian citizens and 11 thousand Israeli settlers.

While the third likely scenario to date includes the major settlement blocs - Ma'ale Adumim, Ariel and Gush Etzion - which together have a population of about 85,000 Israeli settlers.

The settlement of Ma’aleh Adumim is located between occupied East Jerusalem and the West Bank, while Gush Etzion is located near the Palestinian city of Bethlehem, while the Ariel settlement is located among the Palestinian territories and overlooks the city of Nablus.

The annexation of these settlements will separate many parts of the West Bank from occupied Jerusalem and Bethlehem, and create Israeli pockets at the heart of any future Palestinian state.

3- What about the timing of the annexation?

According to an agreement signed between Netanyahu and his defense minister, a partner in the coalition government, Benny Gantz, the Israeli government can submit a legislative proposal to annex the Palestinian territories starting on Wednesday.

This step is the beginning of the legislative process for the annexation process, as the draft plan will pass to several committees before it is presented to the Israeli Knesset, and it is expected that significant changes will be made to the draft plan during this stage, which may take several weeks, and it is likely that it will be approved by the Knesset without much trouble.

4- Is the annexation legal?

The answer is no, of course. The decision to unilaterally annex the occupied Palestinian territories is illegal under international law, and the attempts of the Israeli government to describe the move as “extending sovereignty” do not change the fact that it is in breach of the law.

5- What is the fate of the Palestinians?

Unlike the residents of East Jerusalem and the Golan, Palestinians from the territories that Israel includes from the West Bank will not obtain Israeli citizenship or permanent residence.

Netanyahu told an Israeli newspaper loyal to the government that the Palestinians in the territories covered by the annexation would live in isolated settlements ruled by the Palestinian Authority and surrounded by Israeli territory.

He said that if the Jordan Valley was annexed, the city of Jericho would remain under the authority of the Palestinian Authority, while the other Palestinian towns and villages would remain under Israeli security control.

6- Is the decision subject to agreement in the Israeli government?

There is disagreement among members of the Israeli coalition government regarding the annexation decision, and despite the statement of the Israeli Defense Minister Gantz to support the annexation decision, his support is accompanied by a lot of reservation.

He announced on Tuesday that the annexation will be postponed until the Corona pandemic is eliminated, but Netanyahu responded that the decision to submit a draft draft on the annexation or not is not within the powers of Gantz, and he is right in that, but the chances of passing the draft resolution are very slim without the support of Gantz party representatives.

Gantz has previously stated that any annexation of the Palestinian territories must take place in coordination with the allies of Israel and its international partners, especially the United States.

7- What is the position of the United States?

The United States has not revealed its position yet, although the proposal to annex the Palestinian territories was a key component of President Donald Trump's plan known as the "Deal of the Century" for peace between Israelis and Palestinians, its implementation was reportedly coupled with the creation of an independent Palestinian state.

Trump administration officials seem to have mixed views on the annexation decision, while while David Friedman, the US ambassador to Israel, is pushing hard for giving the green light to the Israeli move, a unilateral annexation decision would kill the Trump peace process revealed in January this year.

The Trump administration was expected to issue a statement clarifying its position on the annexation decision after consultations on the matter last week, but it has yet to do so.

8- Does the Israeli public support it?

The annexation of the Palestinian territories was the most important pledge made by Netanyahu during the last election campaign last March and contributed to his victory in a large number of Knesset seats.

Even so, there is a great deal of divergence on the issue, even among Israelis who support annexing the Palestinian territories.

There are leaders of Israeli settlements and ultra-nationalist Jews who see the idea of ​​a Palestinian state as a curse, as they see all the lands between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River as the Greater Land of Israel, and they reject gradual or limited annexation with the implementation of the Trump plan.

9- What about the Palestinian reaction?

The Palestinians have consistently announced - leadership and people - their rejection of Israel's decision to annex parts of the West Bank, and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas threatened last May to end all agreements and understandings with Israel and the United States.

Officials of the Islamic Resistance Movement "Hamas" described the Israeli annexation decision as evidence of the failure of the Oslo agreement signed by Fatah with Israel. The Palestinian Authority also threatened to tear the Oslo agreement and declare independence if Israel went ahead with the unilateral annexation decision.