The Diplomat
The Spanish government has “strongly” rejected on Wednesday the statements of the Israeli government in favour of the annexation of the West Bank.
In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has warned that “annexation by force is contrary to International Law” and has recalled that “the International Court of Justice has ruled that the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories is illegal and must end as soon as possible.”
“The settlements are totally contrary to International Law, they make the two-state solution difficult and are an obstacle to peace,” the statement continues. “These statements are inflammatory and hinder the necessary de-escalation of regional tension,” it concludes.
On Monday, Israeli Finance Minister, the far-right Bezalel Smotrich, declared during a meeting of the Religious Zionism party in the Israeli Knesset (Parliament) that 2025 will be the year of “Israeli sovereignty” over the West Bank.
In response to these words, the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs “strongly condemned the recent statements and calls by several Israeli leaders to impose what they call ‘sovereignty’ over the occupied West Bank,” which represent “a flagrantly colonial and racist extension of the ongoing campaign of extermination and forced displacement against the Palestinian people” and demonstrate “a flagrant disregard for international legitimacy and consensus, especially on the two-state solution.”
For his part, the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, expressed his “unequivocal condemnation” of these words, which represent “a clear step towards the illegal annexation” of the occupied territory. “This rhetoric undermines international law, violates Palestinian rights and threatens the possibility of a two-state solution,” he added.