Although the commencement of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s court hearing has slightly overshadowed the eminent annexation of part of the Jordan Valley, Netanyahu assured Monday (May 25) that the move will take place as planned in July.

The statement was made during a weekly faction meeting in which he told Likud ministers, “This is an historical opportunity that we haven’t seen since 1948. This is a great opportunity that we cannot miss.”

Aside from the historical opportunity at hand, the past few weeks have also revealed the increasing risk associated with annexation. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) directed the Palestinian Authority’s (PA) security officials to terminate cooperate with their Israeli counterparts. Abbas further stated that the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and the PA are “from now on relieved of all of their agreements with Israel and the United States.” The PA security services also subsequently informed the CIA that they will no longer be sharing with them information. The declaration was made on May...