Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) affirmed on Sunday that the State of Israel is well within its rights to annex settlements within Judea and Samaria — otherwise known as the West Bank — and that doing so would not be illegal under international law.
Cruz made his comments on Twitter, in sharing an op-ed in the Jerusalem Post written by Jason Greenblatt, President Donald Trump’s former envoy to the Middle East, titled “Greenblatt to ‘Post’: Applying Israeli law in West Bank is not illegal.”
The U.S. Senator from Texas, long a friend of pro-Israel causes, added: “Important read. Israel is an ally and a sovereign nation entitled to make this decision for itself. Far too many in America have been presumptuous in trying to dictate the terms of peace to them.”
Cruz joins a chorus of voices urging President Donald Trump to support Israel as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu prepares to present a plan to his Cabinet on July 1 that would extend Israeli law to 30% of Judea and Samaria.
Israel is permitted to annex the territory under the terms of the Trump administration’s Middle East peace plan, which also provides for a Palestinian state and $50 billion in economic assistance for the Palestinians — provided they renounce terror.
Cruz’s comment comes as reports emerge that the Trump administration may be urging Israel to hold back, or to moderate its plans, even though Netanyahu’s party won the March elections on a promise to proceed with annexation.
Democrats, including presumptive presidential nominee Joe Biden, have rejected the Trump administration’s plan.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). His new book, RED NOVEMBER, is available for pre-order. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.