The situation in Palestine and Israel is surging again! Israel threatens to annex Palestinian settlements in the West Bank.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu once again threatened to annex settlements in the West Bank. (Source: Reuters)
Overseas network September 1 STJewish settlement in the West Bank is one of the most controversial hot topics in Israel and Palestine, and both sides claim sovereignty over it. Recently, Israel once again threatened to annex all Jewish settlements in occupied Palestine in the West Bank.
According to the news of Reuters)1 on the 1st, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu made the above statement to the local Jewish residents at the beginning of the new school year in a Jewish settlement in the West Bank. Netanyahu said that Israel will extend Jewish sovereignty to all settlements, and these areas will become part of Israel’s territory. He said that this is Israel’s land, and Israel will build more cities and settlements here, but will not expel anyone here.
Before Israel held parliamentary elections in April this year, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that if he won the parliamentary elections, his government would promote the division of Jewish settlements built in the West Bank into Israeli territory. Due to the failure of Netanyahu to form a cabinet, Israel will hold a new parliamentary election on September 17.
A Jewish settlement in the West Bank. (Source: AFP)
According to reports, from the perspective of Israeli domestic legislation, settlements with hundreds of thousands of Israelis are not considered as part of Israel, which is different from East Jerusalem or the Golan Heights. According to the agreement signed by Israel and Palestine in 1993, the West Bank is divided into three areas: A, B and C. Area A is controlled by Pakistan, area B is jointly managed by both sides, and area C is controlled by Israel. Area C accounts for 60% of the West Bank, and there are about 450,000 Jewish settlers and more than 250,000 Palestinians.
Meanwhile, according to local media reports, the Palestinian National Authority, which manages parts of the West Bank, announced over the weekend that Pakistan will regard all the West Bank as Palestinian sovereign land. On July 22 this year, Israel forcibly demolished 12 Palestinian houses in East Jerusalem. Palestinian leader Abbas announced on July 25th that Israel’s forced demolition was a flagrant violation of international law and the agreements between Palestine and Israel, and that Pakistan decided not to abide by all the agreements reached with Israel. Regarding the annexation plan declared by Israel, it is still unclear whether and what measures Pakistan will take to safeguard its sovereignty over the territory.
On July 25th, Palestinian President Abbas said that all Palestinian-Israeli agreements would be stopped. (Source: Xinhua News Agency)
It is reported that Israel’s threats and Pakistan’s counter-measures have caused the stalled Palestinian-Israeli peace process to encounter obstacles again. Palestinians are seeking to establish an independent Palestinian state, whose territory includes the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, with East Jerusalem as its capital. If Jewish settlements become part of Israel, it will destroy the territorial integrity of the future Palestinian state.
During the Six-Day War in 1967, the West Bank and Gaza were under Israeli military control. Although Israel unilaterally withdrew its troops from Gaza in 2005 and dismantled all Jewish settlements there, Israel has been promoting the settlement expansion policy in the West Bank. According to United Nations estimates, more than 400,000 Israelis live in nearly 230 settlements in the West Bank today, and another 200,000 Israelis live in East Jerusalem.
Palestinians have long condemned these settlements, and the United Nations also considers them illegal and in violation of international resolutions. However, Israel defended its right to settle in Palestinian territory on the grounds of historical reasons and security threats. (Compile/Overseas Network Hou Xingchuan)