Gaza: Effective international mechanisms are required to halt Israel's plans to annex large swaths of the occupied West Bank, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates stated on Friday.
According to Palestine News and Information Agency, the Ministry highlighted the expansion of Israeli settler-colonialism, recently exemplified by the approval of 22 new colonies in the occupied West Bank, including previously dismantled sites. It emphasized the need for effective international mechanisms to address these annexation plans.
The Ministry pointed to Israeli 'Defence' Minister Yisrael Katz's incursion into the evacuated 'Tarsala' colony site near Jaba', south of Jenin. Katz's remarks on colonial expansion were cited as evidence of colonists' intrusions into Palestinian lands, vandalism of Palestinian property, and the construction of new colonies. These actions were described as attempts to undermine the two-state solution and disregard United Nations resolutions and international law.
The Ministry further stated that these acts disregard the international consensus rejecting Israeli settler-colonialism, as colonial construction breaches international law and threatens the realization of a Palestinian state.
It affirmed that expanding recognition of the State of Palestine by European countries, ensuring the success of the upcoming high-level June conference, and supporting Palestine's bid for full United Nations membership would contribute significantly to safeguarding the two-state solution.
