UN warns Israel against ‘devastating’ West Bank annexation plans

UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Nickolay Mladenov has issued a warning against the Israeli regime’s intention to annex parts of the occupied West Bank, saying such a move constitutes a serious violation of international law and would be a "devastating blow" to the so-called two-state solution.

"The dangerous prospect of annexation by Israel of parts of the occupied West Bank is a growing threat," Mladenov said in a video briefing with the Security Council (UNSC) on Thursday.

Warning that such a move would violate international law, the envoy said annexation would also "deal a devastating blow to the two-state solution, close the door to a renewal of negotiations, and threaten efforts to advance regional peace."

Elsewhere in his remarks, Mladenov urged the Israeli regime to "reject unilateral moves that will only deepen the wedge between the two peoples and undermine the chances for peace."

Also on Thursday, the EU's foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, said the 27-member bloc does not recognize Israeli sovereignty over the Palestinian territory and that it will "continue to closely monitor the situation and its broader implications, and will act accordingly."

The so-called Mideast plan unveiled earlier this year by US President Donald Trump -- which was rejected by the Palestinians and condemned by much of the international community -- gave Israel the green light to annex settlements and other strategic territory in the occupied West Bank.

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has heralded the Trump plan as a historic opportunity for Israel.

Earlier this week, Netanyahu and his main rival Benny Gantz signed a coalition agreement that includes a clause to advance plans to annex parts of the West Bank, including Israeli settlements, starting on July 1.

In a recent interview, Netanyahu said he would not shy away from expanding Israel’s illegal annexations to cover the West Bank, a land currently accommodated by settlers which Israeli regime occupied in the 1967 Middle East war.

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Netanyahu had previously said that the fate of the West Bank, where the Palestinian government has its seat of power in the capital Ramallah, should be decided in talks with the Palestinians who seek to establish their own state in the territory.

A spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said Netanyahu’s new comments would not affect the illegal nature of the Israeli settlements in the West Bank which currently hosts some 400,000 settlers.

A majority of countries in the world consider Israel’s occupation of the West Bank, the East Jerusalem al-Quds, and the Golan Height as illegal under the Geneva conventions that bar settling on land captured in war.

In November 1967, the United Nations Security Council adopted Resolution 242, under which Israel is required to withdraw from all territories seized in the war. 

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