Oman rejects Netanyahu's promise to annex the West Bank
Oman stated it would instead support a Palestinian state with east Jerusalem as its capital and criticized Netanyahu for undermining the peace process.
By JERUSALEM POST STAFFBenjamin Netanyahu announces that if reelected, he will extend Israeli sovereignty over the Jordan Valley, September 10 2019(photo credit: AVSHALOM SASSONI)
Oman rejected Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's plan to annex West Bank settlements. "Oman reiterates its rejection of Netanyahu's recent statements on the Palestinians, and supports the Palestinian people in all efforts to establish an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital," the Oman Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement, according to Xinhua.This announcement was in response to Netanyahu's post-election plan to annex the Jordan Valley.“We will apply sovereignty in the Jordan Valley and the Northern Dead Sea as soon as the next government is established in the next Knesset,” Netanyahu said.“The final decision [to authorize the settlement] will only be advanced in the next government,” the Prime Minister’s Office said.Attorney-General Avichai Mandelblit had initially refused to support the Mevo’ot Yericho vote, and accused Netanyahu of using the cabinet meeting to advance his personal electoral agenda.Mandelblit rescinded his objection, however, after he was presented with new information, allegedly regarding US President Donald Trump’s peace plan, which showed there was diplomatic urgency with regard to the vote to legalize the outpost. The attorney-general said that under these circumstances such a vote could be taken.While the announcement had support among several groups in Israel, it faced much criticism from the Palestinian Authority (PA). The PA's Foreign Minister Riad al-Maliki told the OIC (Organization of Islamic Cooperation) that united action was needed to combat this threat.The left-wing NGO Peace Now said that if the Mevo’ot Yericho settlement was developed, it would block the expansion of the northern section of Jericho.“This official establishment of another settlement proves yet again that the government is unencumbered by the thought of international backlash or the end to Israeli democracy on its way to annex Area C,” Peace Now said. “The government continues to show blatant disregard for reaching a two-state conflict-ending agreement with the Palestinians. Instead, it prefers to take new strides in formalizing the acquisition of occupied territory, and to control the area’s resources while permanently keeping the Palestinian population confined without full rights in isolated cantons.”
