UN, EU Warn Israel against West Bank Annexation Plans

The UN's special Middle East envoy said recently that such a move would be a "devastating blow" to the so-called two-state solution, the Middle East Eye reported.

In a video briefing with the UN Security Council, Nickolay Mladenov warned that "the dangerous prospect of annexation by Israel... threatens efforts to advance regional peace."

Josep Borrell, the European Union's foreign policy chief, said the bloc of 27 member countries "does not recognize Israeli sovereignty over the occupied West Bank" and that it will "closely monitor the situation and its broader implications, and will act accordingly".

The UK's mission said that any annexation would violate international law and jeopardize the peace process.

Germany said it "advises against the annexation of occupied Palestinian territories." Meanwhile, France's Ambassador to the UN, Nicolas de Rivière, went further and warned annexation "would not pass unchallenged and shall not be overlooked in our relationship with Israel."

Earlier this week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his main rival Benny Gantz signed a coalition agreement, ending more than a year of political deadlock in which Israel was forced to hold three elections.

The agreement contains a clause to advance plans to annex parts of the West Bank, including Israeli settlements, starting on July 1.

Israel occupied the West Bank during the 1967 war. Since then, more than 700,000 Israelis have moved into settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem (al-Quds).

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said his administration would regard agreements with Israel and the US "completely canceled" if Israel annexed land in the occupied West Bank.

Earlier this year, the White House released its so-called "deal of the century" plan for the conflict, which would allow Israel to keep all of its West Bank settlements in exchange for recognizing a demilitarized Palestinian state with no control over its borders or airspace.