World should thwart annexation plan by Israel

The international community has been repeatedly warning Israel that its plans to annex parts of the occupied West Bank mark a serious escalation that threatens the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, but such well-meaning calls continue to fall on deaf ears.

The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has also rightly warned against the dangerous intention of Israel.

As the OIC stated, the annexation threat amounts to an official declaration by Israel of revocation of all its signed agreements and a serious escalation of its colonial policies and measures.

The United Nations has already warned that such a move by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government would stifle financial and aid flows to the Palestinians and most likely trigger conflict.

UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Nickolay Mladenov earlier told the 15-member Council that annexation would represent “a most serious violation of international law” and deal a devastating blow to the two-State solution.

It would also slam the door on fresh negotiations and threaten efforts to advance regional and international peace.

Indications that Israel may start the annexation process as soon as July 1 is a matter that needs to be sternly addressed by the international community.

US President Donald Trump’s plan unabashedly favours Israel and has rightly been rejected by the Palestinians.

It is biased in favour of Israel as it would allow the occupation forces to annex all settlements as well as the strategic Jordan Valley.

It would give the Palestinians limited autonomy in several chunks of territory with a capital on the outskirts of occupied Jerusalem, and that too only if they meet nearly impossible conditions.

Germany and its European partners have also expressed serious concerns over Israel’s plans to annex parts of the occupied West Bank.

The first high-level European visitor to Israel since the coronavirus pandemic hit, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas brought a message of disquiet to Israel, which he later reiterated in neighbouring Jordan.

“Together with the European Union, we believe that annexation would not be compatible with international law,” Maas made it clear at a press conference.

The UAE, on its part, has always extended absolute support to the Palestinian people and their legitimate rights.

The UAE has again made it clear that Israeli imposition of sovereignty over areas of occupied West Bank is unacceptable.

In the words of Dr Anwar Bin Mohammed Gargash, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs: “We affirm the enduring commitment of the UAE to the Palestinian cause, for which the OIC was established. Due to our support for the Palestinian people and their just demands, and as part of activating joint Islamic political action, we affirm that the Israeli Government’s programme to impose its sovereignty over areas of the occupied West Bank is unacceptable and violates international laws and resolutions, impedes the peace process, and undermines international efforts to resolve the Palestinian issue.”

He stressed that these steps would infringe upon the historic rights of the Palestinian people stipulated in UN Security Council Resolution No.478 for 1980 and impede the achievement of a lasting political solution in accordance with relevant international resolutions.

The international community should honour its responsibilities in line with international law and the Charter of the United Nations to end the suffering of the Palestinian people and Israel’s occupation of all Palestinian lands and nullify any future measures that affect the peace process.