Arab and Muslim countries Wednesday led a wave of outcry after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to annex a key part of the occupied West Bank if re-elected.
Mr. Netanyahu’s controversial pledge involves extending Israel’s sovereignty over the Jordan Valley and the northern Dead Sea which account for one-third of the West Bank if he wins next week’s elections. It would not include however annexing any Palestinian cities such as Jericho.
The pre-election promise late on Tuesday drew immediate condemnation from Arab powerhouses with many warning of disastrous consequences for the stagnant Israeli-Palestinian peace process. “The announcement constitutes a dangerous development and a new Israeli aggression,” Arab Foreign Ministers said. They also warned in a statement of “the ramifications of these dangerous, illegal and irresponsible” moves saying it would “undermine the chances of progress in the peace process”.
Jordanian and Palestinian officials said any such measure risks “killing off” and “destroying” the entire peace process.
Jordan’s House Speaker Atef al-Tawarneh went as far as to warn on Wednesday that any such move could even put the country’s peace treaty with Israel — only one of two with Israel's neighbours — “at stake”.
Damascus “strongly condemned” Mr. Netanyahu’s vow, with a Syrian Foreign Ministry source telling the state news agency SANA that it was an “expansionist” plan in “flagrant violation” of international treaties.
Saudi Arabia flagged the announcement as a “dangerous escalation”, and convened an “emergency meeting” of the Foreign Ministers of the 57 member states of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation in Jeddah on Sunday to discuss the issue.
