UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Nickolay Mladenov on Thursday warned against Israel’s planned annexation of occupied Palestinian territory.
“The dangerous prospect of annexation by Israel of parts of the occupied West Bank is a growing threat,” Mladenov told the Security Council on Thursday via video-conference.
“If such a move were implemented, it would constitute a serious violation of international law, deal a devastating blow to the two-state solution, close the door to a renewal of negotiations, and threaten efforts to advance regional peace.”
On Monday, the two leading political parties in Israel signed a coalition agreement to form a government, reports Xinhua news agency.
The two sides agreed on advancing annexation of parts of the West Bank, starting July 1, said Mladenov in his virtual briefing.
The Palestinian Authority has threatened that if this move takes place, it will cancel the implementation of all bilateral agreements, he said.
Moves to annex land and to accelerate settlement expansion, combined with the devastating impact of COVID-19, can ignite the situation and destroy any hope of peace, warned Mladenov.
“The path of unilateral action will only lead to more conflict and suffering.”
However, he said, there is a different path — one of working together to modernize and expand existing agreements, of solidifying the current relative calm in Gaza, a path of implementing the recommendations of the 2016 Middle East Quartet report and actively taking steps toward a negotiated two-state solution that is based on relevant UN resolutions, bilateral agreements and international law.
Palestinian lands
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said that the agreements reached with Israel and the US will be “absolutely null” if the former annexes any part of the Palestinian territories.
“We informed all the concerned international parties, including both Israel and the U.S. that we will not stay handcuffed if Israel annexes any part of our territory,” Abbas said in a televised speech.
He noted that all concerned political and legal establishments “act to defend our existence and confront all unjust conspiracies, which target our rights, mainly the American Deal of the Century and the Israeli annexation plans”, reports Ainhua news agency.
The agreement on the unity government includes a mutually accepted point to impose Israeli sovereignty on the territories “that are part of the historic lands of Israel”.
Meanwhile, Abbas affirmed that the precautionary measures which were taken to combat the spread of coronavirus pandemic will be valid during the holy Muslims’ fasting month of Ramzan.
“Mosques and churches will keep being shut down and we call on our people to stay home because our health is a priority that we must keep it,” said Abbas.
Unity govt in Israel
Benjamin Netanyahu will remain Israels Prime Minister after he agreed to form a national unity government with his main political rival, Benny Gantz, a deal which brings a year-long political crisis to an end.
In a joint statement, the ruling center-right Likud Party and the liberal Blue and White Party said: “An agreement for the establishment of a national emergency government is now being signed,” Efe news reported.
The deal comes after three back-to-back elections had failed to yield a clear winner between incumbent Netanyahu, in power since 2009, and former army chief Gantz.
Although the statement did not provide further details, the rivals have reportedly agreed to share the role of prime minister on a rotating basis, with Netanyahu occupying the post for the first 18 months before handing over power to Gantz, who will initially become Minister of Defence.
In a statement on Twitter, Gantz said they had “prevented” a fourth round of elections.
“We will maintain democracy, we will fight against the coronavirus and will protect the citizens of Israel. There is a national emergency government,” Gantz wrote.
Netanyahu, meanwhile, promised “to work to save the lives and livelihoods of Israeli citizens”.
The result of the negotiations is a remarkable turnaround for Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, who has three serious corruption charges pending against him.
Three rounds of elections had already been held with similar results after each poll, but the coronavirus crisis added an extra layer of urgency to the process this time around.
Israel is under a nationwide lockdown with over 13,650 confirmed cases and 173 deaths.
Reports in Israeli media indicate that the cabinet will be split between members of the Likud party and its various junior coalition partners, which include ultra-orthodox and ultra-right wing parties, and the Blue and White alliance, which groups together left-leaning and liberal factions.
