Netanyahu is expected within days to return to power in Israel after sealing a coalition deal with extreme-right movements including Religious Zionism, which is set for a post in charge of settlements in the occupied West Bank.
“:”US Secretary of State Antony Blinken vowed on Sunday to oppose Israeli settlements or annexation in the West Bank, but promised to judge Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s incoming government by actions and not personalities. Netanyahu is expected within days to return to power after sealing a coalition deal with extreme-right movements including Religious Zionism, which is set for a post in charge of settlements in the occupied West Bank. Speaking to J Street, a left-leaning pro- Israel US advocacy group, Blinken offered congratulations to the veteran Israeli leader, who has clashed with previous Democratic administrations in Washington. “We will gauge the government by the policies it pursues rather than individual personalities,” Blinken said. Israel’s Netanyahu tapped to form next government But he said President Joe Biden ’s administration would work “relentlessly” to preserve a “horizon of hope,” however dim, for the creation of a Palestinian state. “We will also continue to unequivocally oppose any acts that undermine the prospects of a two-state solution, including but not limited to settlement expansion, moves toward annexation of the West Bank, disruption to the historic status quo of holy sites, demolitions and evictions, and incitement to violence,” Blinken said.
