PA foreign minister: Netanyahu will face a ‘real problem’ if he annexes settlements

DEAD SEA, Jordan — The Palestinian Authority foreign minister says Israel’s leader will face a “real problem” if he follows through with his election campaign promise to annex Jewish settlements in the West Bank.

Riyad al-Malki tells The Associated Press Sunday on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Jordan that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s pledge was likely aimed at rallying his nationalist base in the final stretch of a tight race.

He adds that Palestinians would resist such a policy if carried out.

Netanyahu has promoted Jewish settlement expansion in his four terms as prime minister, but until now refrained from presenting a detailed vision for the West Bank, viewed by Palestinians as the heartland of a future state.

It would mark a dramatic shift for Netanyahu, ahead of Tuesday’s balloting.

— AP