Palestinians: Israel is 'secretly' imposing annexation plan
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated on Monday that the annexation plan “has not been taken off the agenda."
By KHALED ABU TOAMEHPALESTINIAN DEMONSTRATORS take part in a ‘day of rage’ rally to protest against Israel’s annexation plan, in Gaza City.(photo credit: MOHAMMED SALEM/REUTERS)Palestinian officials claimed on Tuesday that Israel is “secretly” implementing its plan to apply sovereignty to portions of the West Bank and said they would pursue their efforts to foil the move.Responding to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who stated on Monday that the annexation plan “has not been taken off the agenda,” the officials again warned that such a move would constitute a “blatant violation of international law.”Netanyahu said during a Likud faction meeting that the “option [of annexation] still exists” and the matter is currently in the hands of the administration of US President Donald Trump.“We have repeatedly warned that Netanyahu has not abandoned the annexation scheme,” said a senior Palestinian Authority official. “Netanyahu’s remarks prove that he and the US administration are determined to proceed with this dangerous plan. That’s why we are pursuing our diplomatic efforts in the international arena to warn of the grave consequences of such a move.”The official claimed that Israel’s actions on the ground show that it has been taking various measures to pave the way for the implementation of the annexation plan.The official praised 15 European countries for recently issuing a formal diplomatic complaint to the Israeli Foreign Ministry over construction in the E1 area and Givat Hamatos.Givat Hamatos is within Jerusalem’s municipal boundaries, while E1 is to the east of the city, between Jerusalem and Ma’aleh Adumim.Israel recently authorized the constriction of more than 1,000 housing units in Givat Hamatos.Last week, Peace Now claimed that Israel plans to promote the construction of 3,412 homes in E1. The Palestinians argue that building in E1 would make it impossible for them to establish a contiguous state.Tayseer Khaled, member of the PLO Executive Committee, said that construction in E1 would mark the beginning of the implementation of Trump’s “Peace to Prosperity” vision for resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. “The Israeli plan is a sign that the annexation plan is being implemented,” Khaled argued. He called on Palestinians to confront the “dangerous settlement” plan and Arabs to stop engaging in normalization activities with Israel.
Secretary-General of the Palestinian National Initiative Movement Mustafa Barghouti said that Israeli plans to build new housing units in E1 is the beginning of the actual annexation of Area C and the Jordan Valley. Under the terms of the Oslo Accord, Area C is exclusively controlled by Israel.Barghouti said that Israel’s overall activities, including “settlement expansion, escalation of arrests, house demolitions, and attacks on al-Aqsa Mosque are going in one direction; annexation and Judaization.”Saleh Ra’fat, a senior official with the Palestinian Democratic Union Party, called on the international community to impose sanctions on Israel to prevent it from carrying out the annexation plan. The Palestinians, he said, will continue their “popular resistance” to thwart the plan.Another PLO official, Hanan Ashrawi, said that while she welcomes the position of the European countries against Israeli construction plans, she believes that the EU should “deter Israel from persisting on the path of illegality, impunity and de facto annexation.”Ashrawi added: “While the international community is concerned with the ‘possibility’ of annexation, Israel is implementing its scheme on the ground without any deterrence.”The Palestinian “Colonization & Wall Resistance Commission,” a group entrusted with combating Israel’s security barrier and settlements, also claimed that Israel has begun implementing the annexation plan. “Israel is now waiting for a green light from the Trump administration,” the group said. “It is secretly and quietly implementing the annexation plan.”
