What people are saying...
A former commander of the IDF Central Command and former directors of the Shin Bet and Mossad outline how annexing the West Bank would threaten Israel’s peace treaties with Egypt and Jordan, anger allies in the Gulf, undermine the Palestinian Authority, and endanger Israel as a Jewish democracy.
“The fifth Netanyahu government is going to make a very dangerous move for Israel's national security. Unilateral annexation will undermine the Zionist idea and founding principles of the State of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state, bring about the collapse of the PA and severely harm the peace treaties with Egypt and Jordan, all for the sake of temporary political achievement."
"Israel…has to stop the threats of annexation and settlement activity, like the recent announcement to build thousands of settlements in E1. That’s going to choke off any hope for peace. And to be frank, those moves are taking Israel further from its democratic values."
"The EU does not recognise Israeli sovereignty over the occupied West Bank. The EU reiterates that any annexation would constitute a serious violation of international law."
“We are very concerned about the clause in the coalition agreement that paves the way for annexing parts of the West Bank. The annexation of any part of the West Bank constitutes a clear violation of international law. Such unilateral steps will harm efforts to renew the peace process and will have grave consequences for regional stability and for Israel’s standing in the international arena.”
Jordan's King Abdullah II warned in an interview on May 15, that if Israel moves forward with its declared plan to begin annexing West Bank settlements and the Jordan Valley in July, it will face a major clash with the kingdom.
"Annexation means the end of any possibility for a negotiated solution. It is an international responsibility to hold the new Israeli government accountable and to demand full implementation of its obligations under international law and signed agreements."
“The implementation of plans to annex any part of the Palestinian territories occupied in 1967, including the Jordan Valley… and the lands on which Israeli settlements are standing represents a new war crime… against the Palestinian people.”