EU says West Bank annexation cannot go unchallenged

The European Union says it will not accept Israeli attempts to annex parts of the West Bank, after Jerusalem indicated it could do so as part of the US Mideast peace plan.

“Steps towards annexation, if implemented, could not pass unchallenged,” a spokesperson for EU foreign policy czar Josep Borrell says in a statement.

“The European Union calls on both sides to re-engage and to refrain from any unilateral actions contrary to international law that could exacerbate tensions,” the statement says.

It does not say how the body might challenge the annexation. The EU in the past has threatened to begin labeling settlement produce and other sanctions, drawing accusations of anti-Semitism from Jerusalem.

Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu said he would push ahead with plans to annex the Jordan Valley and settlements scattered throughout the West Bank as early as this week, after the plan was rolled out last week.

However, the US swiftly pressured Netanyahu to backtrack, saying it did not support the move before March 2 elections

The EU also expresses reservations about the plan, which it says “departs … from internationally agreed upon parameters.”

“The European Union will continue to support all efforts aimed at reviving a political process in line with international law, which ensures equal rights and which is acceptable to both parties.,” the spokesperson says.