Jordan threatens to review relations with Israel over West Bank annexation plans

Jordanian Prime Minister Omar al-Razzaz says his country would review its relationship with Israel in case the Tel Aviv regime proceeds with its controversial plans to annex parts of the occupied West Bank.

“We will not accept unilateral Israeli moves to annex Palestinian lands and we would be forced to review all aspects of our relations with Israel,” Razzaz told the official Petra news agency on Thursday.

He also lambasted Israel for taking advantage of the global preoccupation with the novel coronavirus pandemic to implement “unilateral moves on the ground.”

His comments came nearly a week after Jordan’s monarch King Abdullah II starkly warned Israel of a “massive conflict” if it goes ahead with the annexation plans.

“Leaders who advocate a one-state solution do not understand what that would mean,” King Abdullah said in an interview published by the German news magazine, Der Spiegel, on May 15.

Jordan warns of clash with Israel if West Bank annexation goes ahead

Jordan’s king warns Israel of dire consequences if West Bank annexation plans goes ahead.              

“What would happen if the Palestinian National Authority collapsed? There would be more chaos and extremism in the region. If Israel really annexed the West Bank in July, it would lead to a massive conflict with the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,” he said.

“I don't want to make threats and create an atmosphere of loggerheads, but we are considering all options. We agree with many countries in Europe and the international community that the law of strength should not apply in the Middle East,” the Jordanian ruler added.

Jordan is the only Arab state apart from Egypt to have diplomatic relations with Israel. Even though Amman and Tel Aviv signed a peace treaty in 1994, bilateral ties have been tense in recent years.

On Wednesday, United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Nickolay Mladenov said the Israeli regime's annexation threats constitute a major violation of international law.

“The continuing threat of annexation by Israel of parts of the West Bank would constitute a most serious violation of international law, deal a devastating blow to the [so-called] two-state solution, close the door to a renewal of negotiations, and threaten efforts to advance regional peace and our broader efforts to maintain international peace and security,” Mladenov said during a virtual UN Security Council meeting.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas declared the end of all agreements signed with Israel and the United States on Tuesday, after the new Israeli coalition cabinet under the leadership of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced it would annex parts of the West Bank. 

Palestinian president ends agreements with Israel, US over annexation

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has declared an end to all agreements with Israel and the United States in response to an Israeli regime’s plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank.

Netanyahu, who was sworn into office for another term on Sunday, said in address to the Knesset (parliament) before the vote that his so-called unity administration must enforce Tel Aviv’s rule over settlements constructed in the occupied territory.

He has set July 1 for the start of cabinet discussions on extending Israeli appropriation to settlements in the West Bank and annexing the Jordan Valley.

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