Several European leaders have sent personal letters to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in recent days, warning him against moving forward with plans to annex West Bank settlements and the Jordan Valley this summer, Channel 13 reports.
French President Emmanuel Macron is said to have told Netanyahu: “I ask you, in friendly spirit, that your new government not take unilateral action [in the West Bank]. Such a move will destabilize the Middle East. Only dialogue with the Palestinians and a just and balanced solution will provide Israel with peace, security and stability.”
French President Emmanuel Macron waits for the arrival of Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson ahead of a meeting at The Elysee Palace in Paris on August 22, 2019. (Geoffroy Van Der Hasselt/AFP)
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson was reported to express similar sentiments.
Meanwhile, the leaders of Spain and Italy urged Jerusalem to act only within the framework of international law.
The report says many European nations are now looking at how to deter Israel from moving forward with the plans under the auspices of the US peace plan, and how to punish it if it ignores their warnings and carries out the annexation.
Channel 13 also says that, as opposed to the vigorous European opposition, Palestinian leaders are concerned that leading Arab nations, including Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Gulf states, seem indifferent about the prospect of Israeli annexation.
Help us report truthfully on social media
As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos.
This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world.
If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting.
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you, David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, May 26, 2020
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
