Jordan, Egypt, Germany and France warn against annexation
Such a move “could also have an impact on relations with Israel,” they warned.
By LAHAV HARKOVSettlement of Elon Moreh, near Nablus, West Bank, June 11, 2020(photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM/THE JERUSALEM POST)
Any changes to Israel’s eastern border would impact relations between Israel and Egypt, Jordan, France and Germany, the countries’ foreign ministers said on Tuesday.Such a move “could also have an impact on relations with Israel,” they warned.The ministers held a video conference and at its conclusion they determined that they would not recognize any extension of Israeli law in the West Bank unless the Palestinians agreed to it.“We unanimously believe that nay annexation of the Palestinian Territories occupied in 1967 would violate international law and jeopardize the foundations of the peace process,” the statement reads.Sovereignty steps by Israel “would have serious implications for the security and stability of the region and would be a major obstacle to efforts to achieve a full and just peace,” the foreign ministers added.They also discussed ways to encourage the Israeli and Palestinian sides to return to the negotiating table.UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson also spoke out against Israel extending its sovereignty in a phone call with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday night.Netanyahu’s office said he “clarified in the conversation that Israel is prepared to negotiate based on the Trump peace plan, which is a creative and realistic plan that does not repeat the failed equations of the past.”A readout from the UK Foreign Office stated that Johnson “set out his concerns about plans to annex parts of the West Bank unilaterally and cautioned that this would set back the prospects for peace in the region.”Johnson encouraged Netanyahu to negotiate with the Palestinians, while reiterating “his personal support for Israel.”
In an article in the Yediot Aharonot newspaper last week, Johnson made a plea to the Israeli government not to annex parts of the West Bank and to instead return to the negotiating table.
