Discussions within the halls of Congress with both chambers and decision-making circles in the White House regarding the American position on Israel's plan to annex parts of the West Bank did not stop, which virtually eliminates the two-state solution.

Despite the failure of the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to announce the annexation on the first of this July as expected, many experts indicate that he will take this step before the US presidential elections scheduled for the third of next November.

The campaign of Democratic candidate Joe Biden has expressed his rejection of "any unilateral action by either party that would weaken the chances of implementing the two-state solution, including annexation of lands, which Biden will continue to oppose, if he becomes president" according to the campaign.

As for the administration of President Donald Trump, its elements are divided over the "modalities of annexation." Jared Kushner, the official of the Arab-Israeli peace process, prefers to postpone the annexation declaration so that it becomes part of the broader framework of Trump's peace plan, which became known as the "deal of the century", while no. The American ambassador to Israel David Friedman sees any justification for postponing the annexation process and calls for Washington's support for it.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo expressed his indirect support for the annexation plan, saying, "This is a decision that will be taken by the Israeli government." There was no immediate comment from President Trump.

Biden's campaign said he rejects any unilateral measure that undermines the two-state solution (Reuters)

Battles in Congress

And Lara Friedman, director of the Middle East Peace Foundation in Washington, believes that the divisions in Congress are "real and big", and she said in an interview with Al-Jazeera Net that "there are unprecedented speeches in the House and Senate on the issue of annexation. Democrats are unanimous in their opposition to annexation, and many Republicans are taking Supportive express positions. "

Friedman briefed Al Jazeera Net on several letters and bills passed by Democratic members of the House and Senate calling for opposition to the planned annexation process and threatening negative repercussions on US relations with Israel.

A draft resolution adopted by 12 Democrats in the Senate, in which Republicans enjoy a majority, included a ban on funding any "activities that would facilitate the annexation," referring to the $ 3.8 billion that Israel receives annually in US aid.

Senator Chris Van Houlen (Democrat - Maryland) said the annexation plan "does not serve the historic US relations with Israel" as he put it.

The House of Representatives, in which the Democrats enjoy a majority of votes, witnessed movements opposed to the annexation plan led by a number of progressive deputies, led by Representative Alexander Okácio Cortez.

Cortez sent a strongly-worded letter signed by 13 Democrats to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo warning him not to support the annexation move.

For their part, dozens of Republican members of the House of Representatives sent a joint message to the Israeli Prime Minister expressing their support for the annexation plan, and the letter stated that "Israel has the right to implement any policy it deems important to its security."

And Lara Friedman believes that the upcoming elections doubled "the intensity of party dynamics regarding the annexation plan. There is an unprecedented polarization that has multiplied President Trump's positions and policies."

The specter of elections

Polarization does not stop at the gates of Congress. Rather, it affects American voters in general. The upcoming elections are not limited to the position of president, as they include all 435 members of the House of Representatives in addition to 35 of the 100 Senate seats.

The recent elections for the mid-term congressional elections held in November 2018 witnessed the success of many progressive candidates with positions opposing Israeli policies.

The success of some of these candidates, such as Rep. Rashida Taleb of Michigan, MP Ilhan Omar from Minnesota and Representative Alexandria Cortez from New York, pushed the Democratic Party's agenda a little to the left and moved away from full support for Israeli policies.

What do the surveys say?

A poll conducted by the Washington Middle East Report magazine on 1639 Americans last May showed a division over the annexation step, as 37% of them expressed the need for their country to oppose the Israeli plan.

34% agreed with Washington's recognition of the annexation process, while 29% of the respondents declined to express an opinion as they did not have sufficient information.

The rise of deputies such as Ilhan Omar (right) and Rashida Tlaib (left) pushed the Democratic Party away from little support from Israel's policies (Reuters)

A poll conducted by the University of Maryland in cooperation with the Nielsen Center on 2,395 American voters showed that a majority of Americans rejected the unilateral annexation decision. 67% of the respondents believed that Congress should take a firmer stance with Israel and not automatically agree to support it.

The percentage rose to 81% among Democrats, while it reached 53% among Republicans.

"It can be seen that Trump's Middle East peace plan and his pro-annexation stances prove that the Republican Party is the true pro-Israel party and that opposing these policies proves that the Democrats are anti-Israel," Lara Friedman said in her interview with Al-Jazeera Net.

Republicans are trying to accuse Democrats of hostility to Semitism and Israel, as Friedman says that Republicans are trying to “divert attention from the problem of anti-Semitism between some rightwing currents in the party, by focusing on Democrats’ opposition to Israel and the claim that Democrats are anti-Israel and anti-Semitic. Anti-Semitism to focus on freedom of political expression that challenges Israeli policies. "

At the same time, the efforts of the pro-Israel lobby do not stop using the upcoming elections as a means to threaten members opposed to the annexation plan.

AIPAC, the largest pro-Israel lobby organization, rejects Democrats' efforts to discourage Israel from the annexation plan. In several statements, the organization attacked the efforts and speeches of the Democrats by saying that it "did not include holding the Palestinians responsible for the failure of the peace process, nor does it indicate the Palestinians' refusal to negotiate directly with Israel."