UN warns Israel over West Bank annexation plans

The United Nations warns Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that his plan to annex the Jordan Valley in the West Bank if reelected would have no “international legal effect.”

Netanyahu issued the pledge today as he gears up for the September 17 elections. He also said Israel would move to annex settlements throughout the West Bank.

“The secretary-general’s position has always been clear: unilateral actions are not helpful in the peace process,” UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric says.

“Any Israeli decision to impose its laws, jurisdictions and administration in the occupied West Bank is without any international legal effect,” the spokesman adds.

“Such a prospect would be devastating to the potential of reviving negotiations, regional peace, and the very essence of a two-state solution.”

— AFP