Discussions on West Bank annexation should be part of Israeli-Palestinian talks: State Dept.

The state of play:

• Last Friday, Assistant Secretary of State for Near East Affairs David Schenker gave a briefing to reporters about Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's visit to Israel and did not mention annexation, but emphasized the need for direct talks between Israelis and Palestinians.
• One day before Pompeo landed in Israel, senior U.S. officials told me that the Trump administration does not view the new Israeli government's July 1 deadline to begin the process of annexing parts of the West Bank as a "do or die" date, and that the Trump administration is still preoccupied with the coronavirus crisis.
• During Pompeo's visit, he was noncommittal in public remarks about a U.S. green light for annexation.
• State Department officials who briefed the traveling press during Pompeo's trip back to the U.S. said he "didn't travel halfway across the world to discuss annexation."

What they're saying: Ortagus spoke about King Abdullah of Jordan and his warnings regarding annexation, and said the Israeli-Jordanian peace treaty is very important to the U.S. She added that the King's comments show why it is critical for all parties to go back to the negotiating table to discuss the Trump plan.

"We are going to push in order to make this happen," Ortagus said.

Go deeper:

• Jordanian king warns of "massive conflict" if Israel annexes parts of West Bank
• No firm timeline for Israeli annexations in West Bank: U.S. officials