UN warns against Israeli plans to annex West Bank

UNITED NATIONS, Apr 24 (APP):The UN’s top envoy in the Middle East has warned against the Israeli plans 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 two-state solution of the decades-old dispute.
“The dangerous prospect of annexation by Israel of parts of the occupied West Bank is a growing threat,” Nickolay Mlandenov, Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, told the U.N. Security Council on Thursday.
“If such a move were implemented, it would constitute a serious violation of international law, deal a devastating blow to the two-state solution, close the door to a renewal of negotiations, and threaten efforts to advance regional peace.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and opposition leader Benn Gantz formed an emergency unity government Monday to prevent a fourth round of national elections in just over a year.
In so doing, Gantz and Netanyahu pledged to move ahead with the West Bank’s annexation beginning
July 1, with plans to seize the Jordan Valley and Israeli settlements built in the Palestinian territory that are
illegal under international law.
Palestinian officials have threatened to cancel bilateral agreements with Israel should it move forward with annexation.
“We won’t sit with our hands crossed and do nothing if Israel declares annexation, and if that happens, we will consider the agreements forged between the Palestinians, Israel and the United States to be null and void,” Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas warned, according to media reports.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, a staunch backer of the Israeli government, lent his implicit support to the plan, telling reporters Wednesday “as for the annexation in the West Bank, the Israelis will ultimately make those decisions.”
“That’s an Israeli decision, and we will work closely with them to share with them our views of this in a private setting,” he said.
Mladenov, the UN envoy, said if Israel moves forward with annexation it “will only lead to more conflict and suffering.”
He urged the Israeli regime to “reject unilateral moves that will only deepen the wedge between the two peoples and undermine the chances for peace.”
“However, there is a different path— one of working together to modernize and expand existing agreements, of solidifying the current relative calm in Gaza,” Mladenov said.