ISTANBUL: The Palestinian Authority, Arab countries and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) on Thursday condemned Israeli plans to annex the occupied West Bank, warning that the move would heighten regional tensions and undermine the two-state solution, Anadolu Ajansi (AA) reported.
Far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced Israel’s intention to annex 82 per cent of the occupied West Bank to prevent the creation of a Palestinian state.
The Palestinian Foreign Ministry said Israel’s unilateral measures, including settlement expansion and land seizures, would not establish any legal right over Palestinian land.
It described Smotrich’s remarks as “a direct threat to the prospects of establishing a Palestinian state” and “an extension of systematic incitement aimed at deepening annexation, displacement and crimes of extermination.”
Jordan’s Foreign Ministry condemned Smotrich’s “racist” statements and his “incursion into occupied Palestinian territory,” calling them a violation of international law and a challenge to the global consensus on a two-state solution.
Ministry spokesman Sufian Qudah warned that the lack of international accountability only fuels further “aggressive statements and measures” by Israeli officials.
GCC Secretary-General Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi denounced Smotrich’s “dangerous and provocative calls,” saying they reflected a deliberate Israeli policy to destabilise the region and sabotage peace efforts.
He urged the international community to take “immediate and decisive” action to stop Israel’s unilateral practices, reiterating the GCC’s support for an independent Palestinian state along the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) also cautioned against any annexation of the West Bank.
Lana Nusseibeh, assistant foreign minister for political affairs, described such a move as “a red line,” warning it would “kill the idea of regional integration and sound the death knell for a two-state solution,” The Times of Israel reported.
– Bernama-Anadolu
© New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd
