Gantz changes course, calls on Trump to release Middle East peace plan

Catch up quick: U.S. and Israeli officials expect Trump to decide within days whether to release the plan before March, as I reported on Sunday.

• Gantz had previously said releasing the plan — which Netanyahu could use to rally his base — would constitute interference in Israeli politics.
• But during a visit to the Jordan Valley in the West Bank today, Gantz justified his flip flop: "Three weeks have passed and a lot of dramatic things have happened in the Middle East — so I hope the president presents his plan soon."
• Gantz also said for the first time that he would annex the Jordan Valley if elected, “in coordination with the international community" — a sign he is courting right-wing voters. Annexation of the Jordan Valley is a pillar of Netanyahu's platform.

Netanyahu was quick to respond, issuing a statement calling on Gantz to pass a vote on annexation in the Israeli parliament before the elections. That would be legally questionable, as the Knesset has been dissolved.