Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday he would join the northern Jordan Valley in the occupied West Bank if he were re-elected.
Netanyahu, who is campaigning, announced that he intends to "establish Israeli sovereignty over the Jordan Valley and the northern region of the Dead Sea," explaining that this measure would be applied "immediately" if he wins the upcoming elections.
While the European Union, through its spokesman, said the annexation plan announced by Netanyahu undermined the chances of peace, the Israeli prime minister´s announcement sparked a wave of condemnation in the Arab world.
Arab foreign ministers strongly condemned Netanyahu´s announcement in a statement issued Tuesday evening after an emergency meeting after the conclusion of the 152nd regular session of the Arab League Council at the ministerial level in Cairo.
"This declaration constitutes a serious development and a new Israeli aggression by declaring its intention to violate international law, the Charter of the United Nations and relevant international resolutions, including Security Council resolutions 242 and 338," the statement said.
The Council of Arab Ministers that "these statements undermine the chances of any progress in the peace process and undermine the foundations of all."
The council affirmed "its adherence to the principles of the Arab stand in support of the legitimate and inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, including the right to self-determination, the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on the lines of June 4, 1968, with East Jerusalem as its capital, and the right of refugees to return and compensation in accordance with UN resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative."
After the announcement late Tuesday, senior PLO official Hanan Ashrawi described Netanyahu´s pledge as a "flagrant violation of international law" and "land theft, ethnic cleansing and devastating all chances for peace."
Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said Tuesday that Netanyahu´s announcement was a "dangerous escalation that undermines the foundations of the peace process and pushes the whole region towards violence and fueling the conflict."
The speaker of the Jordanian parliament, Atef Tarawneh, said Netanyahu´s pledge puts the peace treaty signed between the kingdom and Israel since 1994 "at stake."
The official news agency quoted Tarawneh as saying that "the House of Representatives, while rejecting all racist statements issued by the occupation leaders, to emphasize that dealing with this occupier must a new path entitled to put the peace agreement to the test, after the breach of the occupier and more in violation of all international conventions and resolutions ".
Kuwait also condemned and condemned Benjamin Netanyahu´s announcement that he intends to impose Israeli sovereignty on Palestinian lands, the official Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) quoted an official source at the Kuwaiti Foreign Ministry as saying that such a declaration is a grave and flagrant attack on the rights of the Palestinian people and a violation of international law and the UN Charter. Relevant resolutions of international legitimacy, as well as their undermining of efforts to achieve a just and comprehensive peace. "
For its part, Damascus on Wednesday strongly condemned Netanyahu´s announcement, saying it was a "flagrant violation" of international law, according to the official Syrian news agency (SANA).
A source in the Syrian Foreign Ministry, according to SANA, that this pledge "comes in the context of the expansionist nature of the occupation entity and a new step in the attack on the rights of the Palestinian people and attempts to liquidate the Palestinian cause."
Riyadh on Tuesday condemned Netanyahu´s election promise as a "very dangerous escalation."
"The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia declares its condemnation, categorical condemnation and rejection of Netanyahu´s statement," the royal court said in a statement carried by the official news agency. United Nations and the principles of international law and norms. "
On the other hand, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in Jeddah on Sunday in an extraordinary meeting at the level of foreign ministers to discuss the "Israeli escalation" the day after the announcement of the Prime Minister.
"At the request of Saudi Arabia, the organization will hold in Jeddah on Sunday an extraordinary meeting at the level of foreign ministers to discuss the dangerous Israeli escalation," the OIC wrote in its Twitter account on Wednesday.
For its part, the Qatari Foreign Ministry said in a statement, "The State of Qatar condemns in the strongest terms the declaration of Netanyahu and considers it an extension of the occupation policy based on the violation of international laws and the exercise of all despicable methods to displace the brotherly Palestinian people and rob their rights without any morals or conscience."
For his part, UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan said in a statement that Netanyahu´s declaration "is a serious escalation violates all international charters and resolutions and expresses electoral exploitation in the most heinous form."
In Manama, the Foreign Ministry considered that the Declaration "represents a blatant and unacceptable violation of the rights of the Palestinian people, and reflects the determination not to reach a just and comprehensive peace."
On the other hand, Turkey described Netanyahu´s promise as "racist." Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Ankara would "defend until the end the rights and interests" of the Palestinians.
The United Nations on Tuesday warned Israel against such a move.
"The position of the Secretary-General has always been clear that unilateral steps will not help the peace process," UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.
He said that "any decision taken by Israel to impose its laws, provisions and administration in the occupied West Bank will not have an international legal basis."
