As Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's proposed date for annexing parts of the West Bank quickly approaches, there has been talk of Israeli leaders trying to meet with Jordanian officials to discuss moving forward with any decision. Yet increasing evidence indicates Amman may reject any negotiations — whether the planned annexation is big or small.

Over the years, Israeli officials have noted that what they see when they are in power is much different than what they expected when they were in the opposition. To many, this explained Menachem Begin's agreement to make peace with Egypt and give up the Sinai Peninsula, and it was also used to explain Ariel Sharon’s reversal on his position on Gaza settlements — which he had earlier said are the same as Tel Aviv, only to agree later to dismantle them and withdraw from the Gaza Strip.

Many proponents to the unilateral Israeli annexation are hoping that this would happen to the duo former chiefs of staff who are now respectively Defense Minister Benny Gantz and Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi. People are perplexed on how best to accelerate the learning curve for them, especially for Ashkenazi who has been asked to lead the research by the Blue and White party in regard to the high cost of annexation.

The July 1 deadline set most likely in order to ensure that Israel can benefit from the presence of US President Donald Trump in the White House is proving to be way too short for this learning curve. Some have suggested that Ashkenazi, with or without Gantz, should visit the Jordanian capital and meet with King Abdullah and his team.