BAHRAIN has strongly condemned plans by Israel’s Prime Minister to annex a third of the occupied West Bank, calling for immediate action by the international community.
The Foreign Affairs Ministry said yesterday that the announcement was “a blatant and inadmissible violation” of the rights of the Palestinian people and proved Israel’s “keenness on obstructing the efforts” to reach a just and comprehensive peace.
Benjamin Netanyahu’s announcement to annex a part of the occupied West Bank if he was re-elected next week was made on Tuesday in a Press conference, in front of a large map showing Israeli sovereignty extending over the vast majority of the Jordan Valley, cutting off the eastern border with Jordan.
He said he planned to make the move, which would permanently seize up to one-third of the West Bank, after the election next week and hinted it may have been approved by Washington.
Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967 but has stopped short of annexation. A two-state solution, a suggested means to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, envisages two states for two groups of people – an independent State of Palestine alongside the State of Israel, west of the Jordan River.
Netanyahu’s announcement was met with widespread condemnation from across the Arab world, with the Organisation of Islamic Co-operation (OIC) calling for an emergency meeting of its foreign ministers to review the announcement.
Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said the proposed annexation would “bury any chance of peace”, while a spokesman for UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said the move would be “devastating” to the prospects of revived peace negotiations.
The Arab League said the plan was a “dangerous development” that would violate international law and “torpedo” the foundations of peace.
“The Bahrain Foreign Affairs Ministry stresses that this announcement is a blatant and inadmissible violation of the rights of the Palestinian people and proves Israel’s keenness on obstructing the efforts to reach a just and comprehensive peace,” it said in a statement.
“The ministry calls upon the international community to shoulder its responsibility in addressing this announcement.
“It also reiterates the kingdom’s unequivocal stance in supporting the Palestinian cause and in solidifying the right of the Palestinian people in establishing an independent Palestinian state on the borders of June 4, 1967 with East Jerusalem as its capital, on the basis of the principle of the two-state solution and in accordance with the Arab Peace Initiative and the relevant resolutions of international legitimacy.”
In a separate statement, the ministry also welcomed the OIC’s move, adding that it embodied the strategic role of Saudi Arabia at regional and international levels, as well as its role in defending Arab and Islamic issues, primarily the Palestinian cause.
Threat
Shura Council member Dr Mohammed Al Khozaie also cautioned that all Arab countries in the region were at risk of a similar threat from Israel.
“This is not surprising for two reasons, one being his campaign propaganda to elicit votes and the other is their dream of a Greater Israel,” he told the GDN.
His colleague Ahmed Al Haddad, who is the chairman of the human rights committee at the Shura Council, said the proposal reflected Netanyahu’s extreme position which was not in favour of the peace process.
Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said Netanyahu’s plan was an outrageous election ploy.
raji@gdn.com.bh
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