AG told Netanyahu last week he can’t annex Jordan Valley with transition government

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he was prepared to announce his intentions to annex large parts of the Jordan Valley last week but was told by the attorney general that he could not pursue the move currently because there is a caretaker government.

In a Facebook live video, Netanyahu says he was told by Avichai Mandelblit that he could not take such far-reaching steps to apply Israeli sovereignty to the West Bank territory since he dissolved his parliament in May after failing to form a coalition.

Yesterday, Netanyahu made a last-minute election vow to annex the Jordan Valley, about a quarter of the West Bank, if he is reelected.

Netanyahu has made similar promises before, only to procrastinate once re-elected. His current pledge was widely regarded in Israel as a campaign stunt to draw in right-wing voters, many of whom live in West Bank settlements.