Israeli PM has threatened bilateral action and annexation of occupied Palestinian land but there are risks in either
Benjamin Netanyahu was quick to denounce the recognition of a Palestinian state by many of Israel’s historic allies, but the prime minister may be struggling to decide how to turn rhetoric into a concrete response.
His options are perhaps more constrained than he would have his supporters believe. He has variously threatened annexation of occupied Palestinian land and bilateral action against countries that joined the tide of recognition.
But laying formal claim to part or all of the West Bank would jeopardise the Abraham accords, the historic agreement that normalised ties with regional powers including the United Arab Emirates.
That deal was perhaps the most high-profile foreign policy achievement of Donald Trump’s first presidency, cited in nominations for the Nobel peace prize he openly covets, and one of Netanyahu’s own landmark achievements.
