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How should states deal with Israel’s plans to annex the occupied territories? Luxembourg Foreign Minister Asselborn made a comparison that would have far-reaching consequences. The King of Jordan also warns Israel.
Luxembourg Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn spoke in favor of strongly condemning Israel’s plans to annex the occupied Palestinian territories. “Attaching a territory that is not your property is a serious violation, a violation of international law,” he told the dpa news agency. This was also seen in the EU when Russia annexed the Crimean peninsula to Ukraine in 2014. Deliberately makes this comparison, Asselborn said. “Now we have to take a preventive position and apply pressure,” he said.
Asselborn did not want to talk about threats of sanction. However, if the EU were to evaluate a possible annexation of Palestinian territories such as the annexation of Crimea, Israel would have to fear broad punitive measures. After Crimea was annexed, the EU, among other things, imposed severe economic sanctions against Russia, which are still in force today.
EU countries without a uniform line
Foreign ministers from EU countries are discussing the latest developments in the Middle East conflict in a video conference this afternoon. The main topic of the talks will be the intentions of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to annex the settlements and the Jordan Valley in the West Bank starting in July.
The way the EU should react to the plans has so far been controversial among member states. Countries like Sweden are in favor of clear threats of sanctions, while Germany and others have spoken out against specific threats. They believe that a less conflictive course with conversations makes more sense as long as the plans are not yet implemented. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell recently said that steps towards annexation would not go unanswered.
Jordanian royal warning
King Abdullah II of Jordan was also concerned about the Israeli project. If Israel really changed the borders, it would cause a massive conflict with its country, he warned in the “mirror.” The annexation of parts of the West Bank leads de facto to a one-state solution. If the Palestinian Authority collapses, it could plunge the region into chaos and give the extremists a new impetus, he said.
Abdullah II said he would not threaten Israel with the termination of the peace treaty with the neighboring country, “but we are considering all options. We agree with many countries in Europe and in the international community that the Middle East is not the right to Stronger should be applied. ” Germany and Chancellor Angela Merkel understand what is the right decision on the Israeli-Palestinian issue. “We are allies and friends and we are moving forward on this issue together.”
Controversial United States peace plan
The Israeli plan is based on the Middle East plan of the President of the United States, Donald Trump. He promised the Palestinians their own state, albeit in difficult conditions. Jerusalem is said to remain the undivided capital of Israel. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas rejects the plan. Palestinians have been boycotting the US government. USA Since Trump unilaterally recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel in late 2017.
Israel conquered the West Bank and East Jerusalem during the Six Day War in 1967. Palestinians are demanding the areas for their own state, with East Jerusalem as the capital. The EU, like many other international actors, believes that Israeli settlements are illegal under international law and an obstacle to peace. The best solution to the conflict is a two-state solution, Asselborn said. But if Israel simply annexed areas, this solution would “break”.
