By Edward Makuzva
The State of Palestine strongly rejects the aggressive campaign by Israeli Cabinet ministers from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party to annex the West Bank before the Knesset recesses at the end of the month.
The State of Palestine considers this move a fundamental component of Israel’s ongoing campaign of genocide and systematic violence against the Palestinian people.
If this annexation moves forward, Israel would unilaterally impose its sovereignty over large areas of Palestinian land, further entrenching its grip on illegal settlements.
In a statement, Palestinian ambassador to Zimbabwe, Dr Tamer Almassri reaveled that this represents a dangerous attempt to entrench the illegal occupation of Palestinian territories, directly threatening to destroy the identity and heritage of the Palestinian state.
Ambassador Tamer Almassri reiterates that this proposed annexation is an outrageous escalation of Israel’s systematic violations of international law that directly disregard the fundamental rights of the Palestinian people to self-determination and sovereignty over their land.
“The annexation, or the acquisition of territory by use of force or threat, is unequivocally prohibited under international law. Such an act constitutes a crime that falls under the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court and poses a severe threat to global peace and security
“Over the decades, Israel has persistently pursued annexation in many parts of the occupied Palestinian territory, confiscated or endorsed confiscation of Palestinian lands and resources, resulting in over 270 colonies housing 750,000 Israeli settlers”, Ambassador Almassri explained.
Ambassador Almassri highlighted that the international community must take immediate and concrete steps to prevent Israel’s annexation of the occupied Palestinian territory. Failure to do so risks complicity, effectively being seen as accepting the Israeli Government’s systematic violation of international law and its ongoing campaign of dispossession, ethnic cleansing, and genocide.