Online Reporter
Herald Reporter
PALESTINE has strongly rejected the aggressive campaign by Israeli ministers from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party to annex the West Bank before the Knesset recesses at the end of the month.
In a statement yesterday, Palestinian Ambassador to Zimbabwe Dr Tamer Almassri said the move is part of Israel’s “all-out genocidal war against the Palestinian people”.
“Should this annexation proceed, Israel would unilaterally assert its sovereignty over vast swathes of Palestinian territory, solidifying control over illegal settlements. 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 Almassri reiterated that the proposed annexation was an outrageous escalation of Israel’s systematic violations of international law that directly disregarded 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.
“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,” he said.
Israeli forces continue to attack Gaza, including those seeking aid, with at least 24 Palestinians killed yesterday.
Since Israel started its war in Gaza in October 2023, at least 57 523 people have been killed and 136 617 wounded, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
