JERUSALEM - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's announcement that he would annex the Jordan Valley and the northern Dead Sea if he wins the general election due after a week has provoked Arab and international reactions, condemning the unprecedented announcement.
"Netanyahu's electoral promise, which sends all kinds of hostile and illegal messages before the elections, is to establish a racist state," Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said in a tweet on his Twitter account.
Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi denounced Netanyahu's announcement, saying it was "a serious escalation that undermines the foundations of the peace process and pushes the whole region towards violence and fueling the conflict." In achieving peace.
We condemn announcement by Israeli PM that he intends to annex illegal settlements & Jordan Valley in occupied West Bank. This is a serious escalation that undermines all peace efforts. It'll lead to more violence & conflict. LAS condemned announcement in emergency session - Ayman Safadi (@AymanHsafadi) September 10, 2019 |
The Saudi Press Agency quoted the royal court as saying that the kingdom condemned the announcement by the Israeli prime minister that he intends to annex parts of the occupied West Bank if he wins the next elections.
Islamic Cooperation
Riyadh called for an emergency meeting of foreign ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to discuss Netanyahu's move and draw up an urgent action plan.
Arab League Secretary General Ahmed Aboul Gheit said on Tuesday that Arab foreign ministers had condemned the Israeli prime minister's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank, describing the Israeli declaration as "dangerous development and new aggression."
Israel occupied the West Bank in the 1967 Middle East war, but Palestinians who signed interim peace deals with Israel in 1990, including security cooperation, want the territory as part of their independent state. The Jordan Valley represents about 30 percent of the West Bank.
The Council of Ministers @arableague_gs at the ministerial level in an extraordinary emergency session expressed its strong condemnation and absolute rejection of the statements made by the President of the Israeli occupation state intends to annex the territory of the # West Bank occupied in 1967 to Israeli sovereignty and consider it a new Israeli aggression pic.twitter.com/Z7Un5Ow5Jp - Haifa abu ghazaleh (@DrAbuGhazaleh) September 10, 2019 |
Arab foreign ministers were meeting regularly in the Egyptian capital, but added an emergency session after Netanyahu made his comments live at an election rally.
United nations
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Netanyahu's remarks "do not help efforts to bring peace to the region and lack any legal weight under international law." UN Secretary-General spokesman Stephane Dujarric said: The prospect of a return to negotiations, regional peace, and a solid two-state solution. "
Sweden's new foreign minister, Alan Linda, also condemned the Israeli prime minister's announcement on the Jordan Valley and the northern Dead Sea, and said in televised remarks that the European Union and the international community see Netanyahu in contravention of international law.