To the editor:

In his article, "Netanyahu’s Annexation Day Arrives, but All That Emerges Is Delay," David Halbfinger writes "but that date [July 1] came and went Wednesday without any clarification from Mr. Netanyahu about what he intends to annex."

There's a good reason for that.

Netanyahu has never said he intends to annex anything; indeed, he has, correctly, not used that term, a term which applies to territory taken from another, sovereign country. Israel is actually the only country which has any legitimate legal claim to that territory.

What Netanyahu has proposed is the extension of Israeli civilian law to certain areas, replacing military rule which, thanks to the Arab refusal to make peace, has been in place far longer than ever intended. This would be done not by Netanyahu, but by Israel.

Mr. Halbfinger makes his living using words. One would expect more accuracy and more precision in his use of terminology.

Sincerely,

Alan Stein