POLITICAL GAMBIT
The last round of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks broke down in 2014.
The Trump administration is expected to release its long-delayed peace plan after Israel's election, and it is still unclear the proposal will adhere to previous U.S. support for the creation of a Palestinian state alongside a secure Israel.
That rollout is unlikely to be affected even if Netanyahu goes ahead with the Jordan Valley annexation plan after the election, a U.S. official said.
Palestinians have boycotted the Trump administration, accusing it of pro-Israel bias.
A far-right coalition partner of Netanyahu hinted at doubt about the premier's sincerity, saying there had been no movement on the Jordan Valley question during his decade in power. "How come this matter (annexation) is coming up now, a week before the election?" Bezalel Smotrich told Israel's Army Radio.
Netanyahu also reaffirmed a pledge to annex all of the settlements Israel has established in the West Bank. But he said that broader step could take longer and required “maximum coordination” with Washington.
Netanyahu is fighting for his political life after an inconclusive election in April. His right-wing Likud party is running neck and neck in opinion polls with former armed forces chief Benny Gantz's Blue and White.
