UAE Says Israel Should Back Off Threat to Annex West Bank
by Reuters and Algemeiner Staff
A senior United Arab Emirates official said on Monday that any unilateral move by Israel to annex parts of the West Bank would be a serious setback for the Middle East peace process.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said cabinet discussions would begin on July 1 on his plan to extend sovereignty some areas captured from Jordan during the 1967 Six-Day War.
“Continued Israeli talk of annexing Palestinian lands must stop,” Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash said in a Twitter post.
“Any unilateral Israeli move will be a serious setback for the peace process, undermine Palestinian self determination & constitute a rejection of the international & Arab consensus towards stability & peace.”
Continued Israeli talk of annexing Palestinian lands must stop. Any unilateral Israeli move will be a serious setback for the peace process, undermine Palestinian self determination & constitute a rejection of the international & Arab consensus towards stability & peace.
— د. أنور قرقاش (@AnwarGargash) June 1, 2020
US-allied Gulf Arab states, including the UAE, had recently appeared to be prioritizing close ties with the United States vital to countering Iran over traditional unswerving support for the Palestinians.