Netanyahu’s West Bank annexation plan is vile attempt to win votes at expense of peace – Turkey

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu blasted Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu for his pledge to annex parts of the West Bank ahead of the elections and warned “foreign powers” against giving Israel a “blank check.”

“This embarrassing statement is a vile attempt to win a few more votes in the coming election at the expense of destroying the hopes of [achieving] a lasting peace in the Middle East,” Cavusoglu said, slamming Netanyahu’s campaign promise during his trip to Saudi Arabia on Sunday.

The Israelis are set to go to the polls on Tuesday. It will be the second snap general election since April and after Netanyahu’s right-leaning party, Likud, failed to form a government. To avoid this from happening again, the PM is not vying to win more right-wing votes.

On the campaign trail, Netanyahu vowed to annex the West Bank’s Jordan Valley, which the UN considers to be illegally occupied by Israel. Right-wing Jews, meanwhile, believe this land to be ancestral Jewish land and an integral part of Israel.

Cavusoglu warned foreign players against “giving a blank check to Israeli violations and provocations.” He was likely alluding to the US, whose leader Donald Trump supported many of Netanyahu’s endeavors, like claiming Israeli sovereignty over East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights.

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