In an article published in the Israeli daily newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth on Wednesday, British PM Boris Johnson called on Israel not to proceed with its illegal plan to annex large swaths of the West Bank.
“I followed with great sadness the proposals for annexing Palestinian territory,” he wrote. “Annexation would represent a violation of international law.”
#PalestineChronicle Explains: What You Need to Know about #Israel’s #Annexation Plan https://t.co/JMPrKoVLhF via @PalestineChron pic.twitter.com/aLrwk0fb5l
— @palestinechron (@PalestineChron) July 1, 2020
“I profoundly hope that annexation does not go ahead,” he said. “If it does, the UK will not recognize any changes to the 1967 lines, except those agreed between both parties.”
Johnson called on both sides to return to the negotiation table in order to achieve a lasting peace.
After it was declared that that Israeli parliament would vote on the annexation move on July 1, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hinted at the postponement of the implementation of the illegal move.
#Netanyahu and #Gantz at Odds over #WestBank #Annexation Plans https://t.co/J4fe93TXkh via @PalestineChron pic.twitter.com/asytzZrFWD
— @palestinechron (@PalestineChron) July 2, 2020
Annexation is the term used when a state decides to unilaterally declare and transfer its political, legal, and military sovereignty over a portion of land belonging to another state.
After World War II, the United Nations resoundingly rejected the practice, proclaiming annexation through military force to be illegal.
Under the public pressure in the #UK 🇬🇧, Boris Johnson, the British Prime Minister, expressed his rejection to the Israeli alleged Annexation Plan and warned the Israeli authorities not to go ahead with its plans.#StopAnnexation #Act4Palestine pic.twitter.com/aAwoAWCA7e
— Women For Palestine (@WomenForPal) July 1, 2020
Over the last few months, Netanyahu repeatedly promised to annex parts of the Palestinian territories. This includes large swathes of the already occupied West Bank and parts of the strategic Jordan Valley.
The idea began to take form in a tangible way following the Trump Administration’s announcement of the so-called Deal of the Century on January 28, which allows Israel to seize parts of the occupied Palestinian territories, and grants Palestinians a ‘state’ on the disjointed parts of whatever remains of the West Bank.
(Palestine Chronicle, WAFA, Social Media)
