European Leaders Asked Netanyahu Not to Annex Parts of the West Bank Unilaterally

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent

(Worthy News) – A number of European heads of state recently wrote to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asking him not to proceed with plans for unilateral annexation of parts of the West Bank, Israel’s Channel 13 reported Tuesday. French President Emmanuel Macron made the request of Netanyahu “in a spirit of friendship.”

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez reportedly joined Macron in each sending a letter telling Netanyahu that unilateral annexation will destabilize the Middle East. “Only dialogue with the Palestinians and a just and balanced solution will provide Israel with peace, security, and stability,” Macron is reported to have said.

However, on Monday Netanyahu told Knesset members from his Likud party that he intends to press ahead with annexation plans on July 1, the Times of Israel reports. Under the coalition government deal that the PM agreed with Blue and White Chairman Benny Gantz, Netanyahu can advance the annexation process provided it is done in agreement with the US.

For its part, the Trump administration has promised its support if annexation is carried out in accordance with the Peace Plan put forward by the US president earlier this year. The plan envisages specific territories for a separate Palestinian state, although the criteria of statehood would remain to be negotiated with Israel. The Palestinian leadership has rejected the plan outright.

The European Union as an institution has also expressed disapproval of unilateral annexation. In a May 18 statement in which he said the trading bloc viewed unilateral annexation with “grave concern,” EU foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell said: “The two-state solution, with Jerusalem as the future capital for both States, is the only way to ensure sustainable peace and stability in the region.”

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