Netanyahu repeats pledge to annex Israeli settlements in occupied West Bank

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu intends to annex all Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, he said on Sunday, reiterating an election promise made five months ago.

“With God’s help we will extend Jewish sovereignty to all the settlements as part of the (biblical) land of Israel, as part of the state of Israel,” Netanyahu said in Sunday’s speech in the West Bank settlement of Elkana, where he attended a ceremony opening the school year.

Settlements are one of the most heated issues in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Palestinians have voiced fears Netanyahu could defy international consensus and move ahead with annexation with possible backing from U.S. President Donald Trump, a close ally. With publication of a U.S. peace plan still pending, Trump has already recognized Israel’s 1981 annexation of the Golan Heights, land captured from Syria in the 1967 Middle East war.

Nabil Abu Rdainah, a spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, said Netanyahu’s announcement was a “continuation of attempts to create an unacceptable fait accompli that will not lead to any peace, security or stability”. The Palestinians and many countries consider settlements to be illegal under the Geneva Conventions that bar settling on land captured in war.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-israel-palestinians-settlement/netanyahu-repeats-pledge-to-annex-israeli-settlements-in-occupied-west-bank-idUSKCN1VM10D