Israeli ministers have stepped back from plans to widen Jerusalem’s borders and annex settlements situated in the West Bank.

Ministers in the governing coalition were due to vote on the new municipal boundaries, which would be extended to include four nearby settlements, on Sunday.

But Haaretz reported that it would now not go ahead, quoting a senior coalition figure as saying: “The current version of the... bill invites international pressure and involves difficult legal issues.

“Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cannot allow himself to advance this version at this time.”

Transport Minister Yisrael Katz had proposed extending the jurisdiction to the nearby West Bank settlements of Ma’ale Adumim, Gush Etzion, Givat Ze’ev and Beitar Illit.

But the practical effects were unclear because, under Mr Katz’s proposals, each settlement’s local council would remain in place.

Sources told the JC that the move was designed to appease right wing calls for an annexation and ensuring a Jewish majority in Jerusalem.