Cruz urges Trump to support Israeli annexation

Senator Ted CruzRafael (Ted) Edward Cruz Business groups lobby for inclusion in small business loan program Republicans target Google in fight to remove legal shield Roberts sparks backlash from conservative senators with DACA ruling PLUS (R-Texas) is leading Republican colleagues in urging President TrumpDonald John Trump Bowman has a double-digit lead over Engel in New York. McGrath leads Booker in Kentucky with results expected next week New York Republican Chris Jacobs wins special election to replace Chris Collins MORE give Israel the green light to annex territory in the West Bank and the Jordan Valley, outlined in the White House vision for a solution to the Israeli and Palestinian conflict.

Cruz, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, addressed a letter from Republican senators to Trump on Tuesday urging the White House to back Israeli Prime Minister’s plans. Benjamin NetanyahuBenjamin (Bibi) NetanyahuMORE take action on annexation from July 1.

The White House has yet to comment on Netanyahu’s efforts, and it is unclear which territory the United States would support as belonging to Israel.

A joint American and Israeli mapping team has worked to define the borders broadly outlined in Trump’s vision for peace, presented in January, which identified that approximately 30 percent of the West Bank and the entire Jordan Valley belong to Israel. But the mapping team has yet to make its efforts public.

Cruz, accompanied by Sens. Tom CottonTom Bryant CottonProtesters try to tear down Andrew Jackson statue near White House Roberts sparks conservative senators backlash with DACA Hillicon Valley ruling: Senate Republicans, target of US Department of Justice Section 230 | Facial recognition under the spotlight | Zoom Launches Encrypted Beta E2E MORE (R-Ark.) Kevin CramerKevin John Cramer When will Americans, all Americans, declare enough is enough? Republicans prepare to criticize upcoming COVID-19 relief bill Republican senators present resolutions opposing calls to remove police MORE (RN.D.), Thom TillisThomas (Thom) Roland Tillis Black voters need a new Senate as much as a new president 180 Democrats ask for clean energy assistance to House leaders McConnell plans to remain Republican Senate leader even if he loses majority MORE (RN.C.), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), John BarrassoJohn Anthony Barrasso Republicans bring out Bolton bombs Efforts to rescue recycling complicated by coronavirus Senate GOP bill reflects Trump’s order on bottlenecks MORE (R-Wyo.) And Joni ErnstJoni Kay ErnstTrump, Republican Shock for New Round of Checks Ernst challenges Greenfield to six debates in Iowa Senate race. Hill Coronavirus Report: Tulsa County Reports Most New Cases Days Before Demonstration Trump; Botanisol Analytics CEO David Talenfeld says new highly mobile virus testing modules can help protect national security infrastructure MORE (R-Iowa), supported the Trump peace plan and urged the president to provide resources to administration officials to help Israel implement the plan.

“We write to congratulate you on the continued progress of the ‘Vision for Peace, Prosperity and a Brighter Future for Israel and the Palestinian People’, to express our support for its continued implementation, including the extension of Israeli civil law to communities Israelis and areas critical to the security of Israel, such as the Jordan Valley, and commit to provide their administration with the resources it requires for such implementation, “the senators wrote.

The letter went on to say that it is “the sovereign decision of our Israeli allies” if they move forward with annexation, “but, of course, their decision takes place in the context of the Vision for Peace and its guarantees of American recognition.”

The Senate Republican statement follows a letter sent Monday by a majority of Republican House of Representatives lawmakers expressing support for “Israel’s right to make decisions without outside pressure to secure defensible borders.”

Trump’s plan for peace was widely rejected by Palestinians and the international community and was criticized for imagining a disparate Palestinian state surrounded by an Israeli security barrier.

Senate Democrats in recent weeks have spoken out against the annexation, following similar statements by the European Union and a top diplomat from the United Arab Emirates.

Trump is reported to meet this week with key members of his administration involved in the White House peace plan on whether to offer support for Israel’s annexed territory.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Hill.