Special to WorldTribune.com

WASHINGTON — Israel’s military has been preparing for the prospect of a unilateral withdrawal from most of the West Bank, a report said.

The Washington Institute for Near East Policy said Israel’s military and security services have been warming to a U.S. plan for a unilateral withdrawal from most of the West Bank.

In a report, the institute termed this “Plan B” and an alternative to a peace agreement with the Palestinian Authority.

“Alternatively, Washington could begin to coordinate with Israel on the idea of unilateral withdrawal from a large part of the West Bank, an idea that is gaining ground as a ‘Plan B’ among many segments of Israel’s security and political establishment,” the report, titled “Assessing U.S. Strategy In The Israeli-Palestinian Talks: A Mideast Trip Report,” said.

Author Robert Satloff, director of the institute, said the Israeli support for unilateral withdrawal was expressed during a trip by the institute in January 2014. He said the so-called Plan B reflected a U.S. campaign for a Palestinian state in the West Bank, led by Secretary of State John Kerry.

“Injecting these ideas into the peace process ether would highlight the
very real costs that Palestinians may incur if they reject legitimate steps forward,” the report said.

So far, the report said, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has
demanded an Israeli military presence in the Jordan Valley and Palestinian
recognition of the Jewish state. In contrast, the prime minister has not
stressed “the extent of Israeli territorial demands.”

“In contrast to Obama 2009, the initial Kerry 2014 strategy has been to
‘hug’ Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, essentially asking him,
‘What do you need?'” the report said.

The report said the Netanyahu government was likely to agree to a U.S.
framework accord for a Palestinian state, based on a withdrawal from the
entire West Bank and most of Jerusalem. Satloff said the U.S. document was
sufficiently vague to prevent a collapse of the Israeli government
coalition.

“The time for Netanyahu to make a fateful choice between his
increasingly inhospitable political home in the Likud Party and the prospect
of true diplomatic breakthrough may eventually come if a future deal is ripe
and attractive enough, but that day is not yet here,” the report said.

  Benjamin Netanyahu, John Kerry, Report: Israel moving toward a ‘Plan B’ for unilateral withdrawal from W. Bank, Washington Institute for Near East Policy