Israeli minister of higher education has played down the likelihood of major moves to annex Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank on July 1, the planned start date for cabinet debate on the issue.

“Whoever painted a picture of everything happening in one day on July 1, did so at their own risk,” Zeev Elkin told Army Radio on Tuesday when asked what would happen on Wednesday. “From tomorrow, the clock will start ticking.”

Elkin, a member of PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party, said Israel still did not have the green light it seeks from Washington to begin extending its sovereignty to parts of the West Bank. Palestinians are seeking the territory for their state.

No Israeli cabinet session for Wednesday has been announced.