Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz said he will oppose the annexation of areas in the West Bank with large numbers of Palestinian residents, Israel's N12 news website reported on Thursday.
According to the report, Gantz said in a meeting with security officials: "I am sure that the prime minister [Benjamin Netanyahu] will not jeopardize the peace agreement with Jordan and the State of Israel's strategic relationship with the US with an irresponsible move."
Although the details of Netanyahu's plan are currently unclear, he has vowed to annex the Jordan Valley, part of the occupied West Bank which Palestinians want for a future state.
Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman al-Safadi has said the annexation would undermine the foundation of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process and affect Israeli-Jordanian relations as well as security in the region.
On Thursday, he travelled to Ramallah to convey a message from Jordan's King Abdullah to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas as part of the "continuous coordination and consultation between the two sides on developments related to the Palestinian issue," according to a tweet by the Foreign Ministry.
A report on Axios on Thursday stated that Netanyahu had presented four annexation scenarios in a meeting Wednesday night with Gantz and Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi. The report cited an unnamed Israeli official who said the plans range from annexing 30 per cent of the West Bank to a smaller and more symbolic annexation.
Netanyahu could bring proposals on annexation before the Israeli cabinet or parliament for a vote as early as July, according to a coalition deal with Gantz's Blue and White party.
