The Secretary-General of the Palestine Liberation Organization, Saeb Erekat, announced today, Monday, that the Palestinians have an international coalition that includes 192 countries against Israel´s plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank.
"We now have a major international coalition against Israel´s decision to annex areas in the occupied Palestinian territories, especially in the Jordan Valley in the east of the West Bank and the areas adjacent to the separation wall from the west," Erekat said.
"The coalition includes the Arab group first, the non-aligned group, and the African and European group," Erekat said.
It is expected that Israel will implement the annexation process starting from the first of next July.
Erekat added: "No one is against this coalition or with the annexation except Israel and the United States. The Palestinians are consulting with these countries and groups to hold a meeting in the United Nations General Assembly in the coming days."
Erekat confirmed that the UN Security Council will meet on Wednesday, the twenty-fourth of June, at the request of the State of Palestine to discuss the annexation decision.
He explained that "the Palestinian ambassador to the United Nations, Riyad Mansour, is conducting intensive consultations and making a great effort with all parties and groups to discuss a project presented to the Security Council from the Palestinian side."
On the possibility of Israel retracting the annexation at the beginning of July or postponing the decision, Erekat said, "The issue is not in terms of quantity or timing. The issue is a matter of principle and this decision is totally and totally rejected. The postponement or the area will not change the position of the Palestinian leadership that rejects the decision and the principle of annexation completely."
He considered, "The annexation decision is a violation of international law and international legitimacy, except that it is a systematic destruction by Israel of the peace process."
In the event that the annexation decision is implemented, Erekat said, "Israel must shoulder its responsibilities as an occupied country and an occupying power, and this will lead to great tension throughout the region, and Israel will have to bear its consequences."
He stressed that "all the Arab countries are with us in this battle against the annexation decision, and our Palestinian people have more options to thwart this decision in order to end the occupation of our land occupied since 1967."
