UN criticizes Israeli Prime Minister's West Bank annexation plan
(Baonghean.vn) - The United Nations Secretary-General on September 11 expressed concern about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's election campaign pledge to take over areas of the West Bank.
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| United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. Photo: EPA-EFE |
“The Secretary-General is concerned by the statement by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stating his intention, if elected, to annex the Jordan Valley and the northern Dead Sea region as a first step towards claiming Israeli sovereignty over all settlements and other areas in the occupied West Bank,” the UN Secretary-General’s spokesman said in a statement.
The UN chief called the moves “a serious violation of international law”.
“They would be disastrous for the possibility of restoring negotiations and peace in the region, and would seriously undermine the viability of the two-state solution,” the statement said.
Previously, on September 10, Mr. Netanyahu in a televised speech affirmed that if he is re-elected, he will impose Israeli sovereignty over the Jordan Valley and the area north of the Dead Sea.
UN Security Council Resolution 2334, adopted in December 2016, urged Israel to halt settlement building in the West Bank. The government has refused to implement the resolution. In the half-century since the Jewish state took over the West Bank, Israel has built some 120 settlements there, which the UN has said is one of the main obstacles to resuming peace talks with the Palestinians.
On September 11, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas affirmed that if Israel annexed part of the West Bank, any chance of peace with the Palestinians would be destroyed. Earlier, the Arab League criticized Netanyahu's move. The Organization of Islamic Cooperation also responded, convening an emergency meeting of ministers on September 15 at the request of Saudi Arabia to discuss "escalating the situation in Israel."
