Global Inaction Emboldening Israel to Annex West Bank, Warns Palestine
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates issued a statement on Sunday condemning the continuous violations by the Israeli army and settlers in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem al-Quds. The statement said that these violations amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity under international law.
The statement added that the Israeli government is pursuing a strategy of de facto annexation of the West Bank by taking legal, structural and field measures to impose Israeli law and sovereignty there. It said that this is happening in front of the international community, which has failed to hold Israel accountable or to stop its illegal actions.
“The Ministry believes that the Israeli government continues to formalize the official annexation of the occupied West Bank, and takes all legal, structural and field legislative measures to achieve this, in full view of the international community, and without fear of punishment, criticism or accountability,” the Ministry said, WAFA reported.
The statement referred to the Israeli occupation of the West Bank since 1967, when Israel captured and occupied the territory, then ruled by Jordan, during the Six-Day War. It said that Israel has built and expanded numerous Jewish settlements throughout the West Bank, in violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention, which prohibits an occupying power from transferring its own population into the occupied territory.
The United Nations Security Council has repeatedly affirmed that the settlements are a "flagrant violation of international law" and have no legal validity. The settlements are seen as part of a colonialism project that aims to displace and replace the Palestinian people.
Palestinians have long called on the international community to take effective measures to end the Israeli occupation and to support the people's right to self-determination and statehood on their land.
Source: Agencies
