UAE slams Israeli bills for West Bank annexation as ‘dangerous escalation’

ABU DHABI/ISTANBUL 

The United Arab Emirates (UAEA) condemned on Thursday a Knesset vote on two bills for the annexation of the West Bank and a major settlement bloc in the occupied territory as a “dangerous escalation.”

On Wednesday, the Knesset approved in a preliminary reading two bills to annex the West Bank and the Ma’ale Adumim settlement bloc. Both drafts must still pass three additional readings to become law.

“This step constitutes a dangerous escalation and a blatant violation of international law, undermining efforts to achieve a just and comprehensive peace in the region,” the UAE Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

It reaffirmed the UAE’s “categorical rejection of all unilateral measures aimed at altering the legal and historical status of the occupied Palestinian territory.”

The ministry warned that any attempt to annex the West Bank “would be categorically rejected, as it undermines the foundations of the two-state solution.”

It emphasized “the importance of supporting regional and international efforts to revive the peace process and end illegal practices. It affirmed the UAE’s commitment “to promoting peace and justice and to safeguarding the rights of the Palestinian people.”

The UAE called on the international community “to uphold its legal and political responsibilities and to take the necessary measures to ensure security and stability for all peoples of the region.”

Annexing the West Bank would effectively end the possibility of implementing a two-state solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict as outlined in UN resolutions.

In a landmark opinion last July, the International Court of Justice declared Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory illegal and called for the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.