Amid talk of West Bank annexation, White House calls for ‘reasonableness’

As Israeli politicians argue about how the White House would react to a possible Israeli annexation of parts of the West Bank, an administration officials reiterates US President Donald Trump’s call for the two sides to act reasonably.

“The administration needs to have the chance to fully consult with all parties on the way forward. We are just getting that process started. As the president has said, he would like to see a ‘level of reasonableness of both parties,'” an administration officials tells The Times of Israel, speaking on condition of anonymity.

He is referring to comments made in an interview Trump gave the Israel Hayom newspaper last month.

The official refuses to say if legislation advancing the annexation of even small parts of the West Bank, such as the Jerusalem suburb Ma’ale Adumim (which would remain part of Israel under any conceivable peace deal, it is generally agreed), would be considered as “not reasonable” in this context.

On Monday, Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman said he received a direct message from the US saying that “Israeli sovereignty over the West Bank means an immediate crisis with the new administration.”

Speaking to The Times of Israel, the White House official says the administration was aware of Liberman’s comments but refused to “speak publicly about the details of private communications between governments.”

— Raphael Ahren