‘Israeli talk of annexing Palestinian lands must stop,’ UAE says

Any unilateral move by Israel to annex parts of the occupied West Bank would be a serious setback for the Middle East peace process, United Arab Emirates’ Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash said on Monday.

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu earlier said cabinet discussions would begin on July 1 on his plan to extend Israeli sovereignty to territory Palestinians want for their own state.

“Continued Israeli talk of annexing Palestinian lands must stop,” Gargash tweeted. Any unilateral move will “undermine Palestinian self determination & constitute a rejection of the international & Arab consensus towards stability & peace,” the official said.

Gulf states largely voiced support for a peace plan proposed by US President Donald Trump in January, for the creation of a Palestinian state but with borders drawn to meet Israeli security needs, while granting US recognition of Israeli settlements on occupied West Bank land. Palestinians have rejected the plan, which diverges from previous US policy.