UN chief denounces Israeli leader Netanyahu’s land annexation plan

UN chief denounces Israeli leader Netanyahu’s land annexation plan
September 12, 2019, 9:01 am

Guterres expressed concern about Israeli PM Netanyahu’s plan to annex parts of the West Bank if re-elected. (File photo AFP)

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres expressed concern on Wednesday about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plan to annex parts of the West Bank if re-elected, saying it would be illegal and gut prospects for regional peace.

“Such steps, if implemented, would constitute a serious violation of international law,” he said in a statement. “They would be devastating to the potential of reviving negotiations and regional peace, while severely undermining the viability of the two-State solution.”

Meanwhile and at the request of Saudi Arabia, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation will hold an emergency foreign ministers’ meeting on Sunday in Jeddah to discuss the “Israeli escalation.”

Earlier on Wednesday, Russia warned that Benjamin Netanyahu’s pledge to annex the West Bank’s Jordan Valley could escalate tensions as the Israeli Prime Minister geared up to hold talks with President Vladimir Putin.

Reuters

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