Jordan condemns Israeli minister's West Bank 'annexation' remarks

Amman, Sep 4 (IANS) Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich's remarks on West Bank "annexation" made flagrantly violate international law, escalate regional tensions, and challenge the global will for the two-state solution, Jordan's Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

"Israel has no sovereignty over the occupied Palestinian territories," the Ministry said on Wednesday, adding that the Israeli government's continued expansionist actions and its officials' "racist statements" incite "cycles of violence and conflict", and threaten the security and stability of the entire region.

The Israeli "occupation" is the root of the conflict and the source of regional instability, it noted, condemning Israel's "policies of forced displacement in the occupied Palestinian territories".

The only path to achieving regional security and stability lies in ending the Israeli "occupation" and establishing an independent Palestinian state on the June 4, 1967, borders with East Jerusalem as its capital, it said.

Earlier on Wednesday, Smotrich unveiled to a press conference in Jerusalem an Israeli proposal to annex 82 per cent of the occupied West Bank to prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state, Xinhua news agency reported.

"It is time to apply Israeli sovereignty" in the West Bank, he said, adding he wants "maximum territory and minimum (Palestinian) population".

Israel's state-owned Kan TV News has reported that Israel is considering annexing the West Bank to Israeli sovereignty in response to the intention of several European countries to recognise the State of Palestine in the upcoming UN General Assembly in New York.

Meanwhile, the Times of Israel reported on Wednesday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is planning to convene a Ministerial meeting on Thursday, including Smotrich, on applying Israeli sovereignty in the West Bank.

Jordanian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Fuad Majali reaffirmed the Kingdom's "unequivocal rejection and firm condemnation of repeated provocative and hostile actions and rhetoric by members of the Israeli government".

He emphasised that the ongoing absence of international accountability and the prevailing culture of impunity have emboldened such officials to persist in aggressive policies against the Palestinian people and leadership.

Majali stressed that Israel's continued military operations in Gaza and the extremist narrative employed by some of its officials will not undermine the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people or the justice of their cause.

He said that the Israeli occupation remains the core issue driving the conflict and regional instability, accusing Israeli extremists of seeking to entrench the occupation, expand illegal settlements, and impose forced displacement, "all in clear violation of international law and United Nations Security Council Resolution 2334."

The resolution, adopted in 2016, condemns measures aimed at altering the demographic composition and legal status of Palestinian territories occupied since 1967, including East Jerusalem.

Majali also cited the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which reaffirmed the illegality of annexing occupied land and the need to end the occupation.

He warned that Israel's unilateral actions and racist statements risk fuelling further cycles of violence and pose a serious threat to regional security and stability.

Reiterating Jordan's rejection of illegal settlement expansion and displacement policies, Majali stressed that a just and lasting peace can only be achieved through the establishment of an independent and sovereign Palestinian state along the June 4, 1967, lines, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

The Spokesperson concluded by calling on the international community to uphold its legal and moral responsibilities by pressuring Israel to end its aggression in Gaza and the West Bank, cease official incitement, protect the Palestinian people, and ensure accountability for violations of international law.

--IANS

int/khz