Turkey on Wednesday branded the Israeli parliament’s vote calling for the annexation of the occupied West Bank an “illegitimate and provocative gesture aimed at undermining peace efforts”.
More than 70 Israeli MPs voted on Wednesday to call on the government to formally annex the territory to “strengthen the state of Israel, its security and prevent any questioning of the fundamental right of the Jewish people to peace and security in their homeland”.
Though the symbolic move does not affect the Palestinian territory’s legal status, the non-binding vote in the Knesset was backed by members of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing coalition, as well as some opposition lawmakers.
Pointing out that the West Bank is a “Palestinian territory under Israeli occupation since 1967”, Turkey’s foreign ministry said the bid was “null and void under international law and without any validity”.
“The Netanyahu government’s efforts to survive through aggressive policies and illegal actions are leading to new crises every day and pose a serious threat to international order and regional security,” the ministry said.
Turkey called for “binding and deterrent measures without delay”, as well as for “the legal and moral obligations of the international system to be respected”.
Some 500,000 Israelis live in settlements in the West Bank, which is home to around three million Palestinians.
Israeli settlement there is regularly condemned by the UN and is considered illegal under international law.
It is seen as one of the main obstacles — along with ongoing violence between the two sides — to a lasting peace agreement through the creation of a viable Palestinian state with authority over the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
ach/sbk/rlp
© Agence France-Presse
