Leading Israeli officials on Wednesday called for the annexation of Hebron (Al-Khalil), a Palestinian city already scarred by illegal occupation that has carved it in two.
Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein and Culture Minister Miri Regev made the call for the annexation of the Palestinian city on the 90th anniversary of the Hebron massacre, which Israeli officials gathered to commemorate on Wednesday in the Kiryat Arba settlement.
Prior to the start of the ceremony Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein and Minister Miri Regev called on Netanyahu to declare the application of sovereignty on Hebron when he speaks during the ceremony.
— Tovah Lazaroff (@tovahlazaroff) September 4, 2019
While Netanyahu did not directly endorse the statements by fellow Likud members Edelstein and Regev, the premier said that Jews would “remain here forever”.
According to The Times of Israel, the premier said:
“We have accomplished historical justice, and returned to the city of the patriarchs. Hebron will never be empty of Jews. We will remain here forever. We have not come to dispossess anyone, but nobody will dispossess us either.”
Benjamin Netanyahu made an unprecedented visit to the occupied West Bank city of Hebron on Wednesday, sparking angry reactions from Palestinian leaders and citizens. https://t.co/jKltJr5KZe
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Regev took the opportunity to remind Netanyahu of his election pledge to annex Jewish settlements in the West Bank, which are considered illegal under international law.
(Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, PC, Social Media)
