Just days before the Israeli parliamentary elections, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a statement regarding a plan to annex the occupied Jordan Valley if he is given another term.
The current prime minister would be seeking another term during the Israeli parlimentary elections which are due on Septermber 17th this year. Netanyahu represents the right-wing Likud party.
Israel had occupied the West Bank during the 1967 Six-Day war. Jordan Valley and the North Dead Sea are a part of the West Bank which is occupied by Israel.
Benjamin Netanyahu is currently trying to protect his government after he had failed to find a working majority during the April elections held this year. The opposition leaders in Israel have come out against the statement calling it just a trick which is being used to win the votes of the people.
The Arab League which was meeting in Cairo at the time of Netanyahu’s statement had called for an emergency session. Jordan and Egypt are the only countries who have signed a peace treaty with Israel.
The Arab foreign ministers after holding a meeting said in a statement, “considers his announcement a dangerous development and a new Israeli aggression by declaring the intention to violate the international law.”
According to Israeli human rights group, B’Tselem, the Jordan Valley and Northern Dead Sea houses around 65,000 Palestinians while 11,000 jewish settlers live in the region which makes up around 30% of the West Bank.
Jerad Kushner who is the son-law of the US President Donald Trump was tasked by the Administration to advice on the Middle-East policy had earlier urged both Israel and Palestine to have a look at the peace settlement before taking any actions which would harm the chances of restoring order.
Saudi Arabia had condemend the election pledge taken by Netanyahu ad asked the Organization of Islamic States to convene an emergency session. In a statement released by the Royal Court of Saudi Arabia it said, “Saudi Arabia condemns and categorically rejects the Israeli prime minister’s announcement that if he is re-elected next week, he will immediately annex a part of the 1967 occupied West Bank.”
With elections due on September 17th, the Israeli government would be keen to get a mandate from the people. During the April elections earlier this year, the Israeli PM made a similar statement and yet could not have formed a majority