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Sunday, September 21, 2025
PM briefing Likud lawmakers not to publicly push for West Bank annexation, fearing fallout
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleNava Freiberg is The Times of Israel's deputy diplomatic correspondent.
Facing mounting calls from the political right to advance the process of annexing the West Bank in response to Western nations recognizing a Palestinian state at the United Nations General Assembly, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office has in recent days sought to ease the pressure by quietly briefing select Likud lawmakers and ministers, The Times of Israel has learned.
An Israeli official confirms details first published by i24 News, which reported that the briefings came ahead of the expected announcements by countries recognizing Palestinian statehood, and urged participants not to press publicly for “sovereignty now,” with the PMO warning that “It causes damage, the prime minister said he knows when and how to act.”
The briefings were not given to the entire Likud faction, the report added, and appear to have had little effect, as many Likud MKs and ministers continue to push for annexation steps in the West Bank.
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