LONDON — Britain on Monday strongly condemned the Israeli decision to expand control over the West Bank and called on Tel Aviv to reverse its move, according to Reuters news agency.Palestinians, Arab and Muslim countries as well as Israeli anti-occupation groups have all condemned new steps approved by Israel’s security cabinet, saying they amount to de facto annexation.Far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced the moves that would make it easier for Jewish settlers to take over Palestinian land. “We will continue to kill the idea of a Palestinian state,” he said.The UK government said “any unilateral attempt to alter the geographic or demographic make-up of Palestine is wholly unacceptable and would be inconsistent with international law”.The statements “warned against the continued expansionist Israeli policies and illegal measures pursued by the Israeli government in the occupied West Bank, which fuel violence and conflict in the region”.Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who heads the Palestinian Authority (PA), which governs parts of the West Bank. called the measures “dangerous” and an “open Israeli attempt to legalise settlement expansion, land confiscation and the demolition of Palestinian properties, even in areas under Palestinian sovereignty”.He called for the US and UN Security Council to intervene immediately.The Israeli NGO Peace Now said the cabinet’s decision risked toppling the PA and involved cancelling agreements and imposing de facto annexation. It accused the Israeli government of “breaking every possible barrier on the path to massive land theft in the West Bank”.The foreign ministers of Egypt, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Pakistan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar described the announcement as “accelerating attempts at its illegal annexation and the displacement of the Palestinian people”. — AgenciesLONDON — Britain on Monday strongly condemned the Israeli decision to expand control over the West Bank and called on Tel Aviv to reverse its move, according to Reuters news agency.Palestinians, Arab and Muslim countries as well as Israeli anti-occupation groups have all condemned new steps approved by Israel’s security cabinet, saying they amount to de facto annexation.Far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced the moves that would make it easier for Jewish settlers to take over Palestinian land. “We will continue to kill the idea of a Palestinian state,” he said.The UK government said “any unilateral attempt to alter the geographic or demographic make-up of Palestine is wholly unacceptable and would be inconsistent with international law”.The statements “warned against the continued expansionist Israeli policies and illegal measures pursued by the Israeli government in the occupied West Bank, which fuel violence and conflict in the region”.Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who heads the Palestinian Authority (PA), which governs parts of the West Bank. called the measures “dangerous” and an “open Israeli attempt to legalise settlement expansion, land confiscation and the demolition of Palestinian properties, even in areas under Palestinian sovereignty”.He called for the US and UN Security Council to intervene immediately.The Israeli NGO Peace Now said the cabinet’s decision risked toppling the PA and involved cancelling agreements and imposing de facto annexation. It accused the Israeli government of “breaking every possible barrier on the path to massive land theft in the West Bank”.The foreign ministers of Egypt, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Pakistan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar described the announcement as “accelerating attempts at its illegal annexation and the displacement of the Palestinian people”. — Agencies
Britain asks Israel to reverse move to expand control over West Bank
