Diplomats, such as the EU’s Josep Borrell, warn that annexing the West Bank would violate international law and undermine regional stability
Western diplomats have condemned comments by Israel’s far-right finance minister suggesting the country will seek to annex the occupied West Bank next year.
Encouraged by the victory of Donald Trump in the US presidential election last week, Bezalel Smotrich wrote in X on Monday that 2025 would be “the year of sovereignty in Judea and Samaria,” using the Jewish biblical term preferred by Israeli nationalists for the West Bank.
Joseph Borrellhead of foreign policy at UEcriticized the proposal as a “clear step towards illegal annexation”.
He wrote in X that the move would violate international law, infringe on the rights of Palestinians “and threaten any prospect of a two-state solution” to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Steffen Seibertambassador of Germany in Israel, stated that “any preparation to implement this goal completely violates international law.”
“We strongly condemn this announcement that threatens the stability of the entire region,” he wrote in the X.
Smotrichalong with many other Israeli ultranationalists, celebrated the victory of Trump.
During his first term, Trump moved the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalemrecognized the annexation of Gola Hills occupied by Israel and cut funding to the Palestinians.
However, the “peace plan” of Trump for the Middle East in 2020, although strongly inclined towards Israeli interests, has been rejected by broad sectors of the Israeli settler movement, including Smotrich.
The plan allowed all Israelis to remain in their settlements in West Bankconsidered illegal by a large part of the international community, but allocated around 70% of the land West Bank for a future Palestinian state.
With information from the Financial Times*
Source: https://www.ocafezinho.com/2024/11/12/indignacao-global-ministro-israelense-propoe-anexacao-da-cisjordania/
