European officials warn Israel over West Bank annexation plans: Israeli media
European envoys say Israel would 'bear consequences” if Netanyahu moves to annex occupied Palestinian territory in response to global recognition of Palestine, Channel 12 reports
JERUSALEM/ISTANBUL
European officials have issued a stern warning to Israel over its declared plans to annex parts of the occupied West Bank, Israeli media reported Sunday.
According to Israel’s Channel 12, several European officials conveyed a sharp message to the Israeli government after it raised the prospect of annexing parts of the Palestinian territory it occupies.
“If Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government want to destroy everything that has been built in the Middle East, they will have to bear the consequences,” the officials warned.
The warning followed remarks by Netanyahu, who recently signaled that Israel might move to annex areas of the West Bank in response to decisions by the UK, Canada and Australia to recognize the state of Palestine.
In a video message released by the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office, Netanyahu claimed that countries recognizing Palestine were “rewarding terrorism.”
He insisted that Israel has long prevented the establishment of a Palestinian state and vowed to continue doing so.
Netanyahu further boasted that Israel has already doubled the number of illegal Jewish settlements built on occupied Palestinian land and pledged to continue expanding them, declaring that Israel will not allow the creation of a Palestinian state.
