{"id":265,"date":"2019-09-16T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-09-16T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/palmon.ximid.com\/index.php\/2019\/09\/16\/in-the-last-metres-to-the-election-netanyahu-persists-with-annexation-promises\/"},"modified":"2019-09-16T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2019-09-16T00:00:00","slug":"in-the-last-metres-to-the-election-netanyahu-persists-with-annexation-promises","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/palestinemonitor.org\/index.php\/2019\/09\/16\/in-the-last-metres-to-the-election-netanyahu-persists-with-annexation-promises\/","title":{"rendered":"In the last metres to the election: Netanyahu persists with annexation promises"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><b style=&#34;font-weight:normal;&#34; id=&#34;docs-internal-guid-06f53bdc-7fff-2748-72c6-2005b7935d92&#34;> <\/b><\/p>\n<p dir=&#34;ltr&#34; style=&#34;line-height:1.38;margin-top:12pt;margin-bottom:12pt;&#34;><b style=&#34;font-weight:normal;&#34; id=&#34;docs-internal-guid-06f53bdc-7fff-2748-72c6-2005b7935d92&#34;><span style=&#34;font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;&#34;>In the shade of the upcoming Israeli elections on Tuesday, 17 September, incumbent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu <\/span><a href=&#34;https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2019\/09\/11\/759671281\/benjamin-netanyahu-vows-to-annex-part-of-west-bank-if-he-wins-reelection&#34; style=&#34;text-decoration:none;&#34;><span style=&#34;font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;color:#1155cc;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:underline;-webkit-text-decoration-skip:none;text-decoration-skip-ink:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;&#34;>reiterates<\/span><\/a><span style=&#34;font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;&#34;> his position towards his pledge to annex parts of the West Bank if re-elected.<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n<p><b style=&#34;font-weight:normal;&#34; id=&#34;docs-internal-guid-06f53bdc-7fff-2748-72c6-2005b7935d92&#34;> <\/b><\/p>\n<p dir=&#34;ltr&#34; style=&#34;line-height:1.38;margin-top:12pt;margin-bottom:12pt;&#34;><b style=&#34;font-weight:normal;&#34; id=&#34;docs-internal-guid-06f53bdc-7fff-2748-72c6-2005b7935d92&#34;><span style=&#34;font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;&#34;>During a press conference on 10 September, Netanyahu stated, &ldquo;Today I announce my intention, upon forming the next government, to impose Israeli sovereignty on the Jordan Valley and the Northern Dead Sea&rdquo;.<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n<p><b style=&#34;font-weight:normal;&#34; id=&#34;docs-internal-guid-06f53bdc-7fff-2748-72c6-2005b7935d92&#34;><\/p>\n<p dir=&#34;ltr&#34; style=&#34;line-height:1.38;margin-top:12pt;margin-bottom:12pt;&#34;><span style=&#34;font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;&#34;>Only on Sunday, 15 September, he<\/span><a href=&#34;https:\/\/www.timesofisrael.com\/netanyahu-after-jordan-valley-and-settlements-ill-annex-other-vital-areas\/&#34; style=&#34;text-decoration:none;&#34;><span style=&#34;font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;&#34;> <\/span><span style=&#34;font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;color:#1155cc;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:underline;-webkit-text-decoration-skip:none;text-decoration-skip-ink:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;&#34;>addressed<\/span><\/a><span style=&#34;font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;&#34;> the topic again, by saying that he plans to annex &ldquo;vital&rdquo; parts of the West Bank and the Jordan Valley. During a cabinet meeting which was held in an illegal settlement in the Jordan Valley, Netanyahu<\/span><a href=&#34;https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2019\/sep\/15\/netanyahu-holds-cabinet-meeting-occupied-west-bank-ahead-election&#34; style=&#34;text-decoration:none;&#34;><span style=&#34;font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;&#34;> <\/span><span style=&#34;font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;color:#1155cc;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:underline;-webkit-text-decoration-skip:none;text-decoration-skip-ink:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;&#34;>talked<\/span><\/a><span style=&#34;font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;&#34;> about his plans to apply sovereignty over settlements in the West Bank.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=&#34;ltr&#34; style=&#34;line-height:1.38;margin-top:12pt;margin-bottom:12pt;&#34;><span style=&#34;font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;&#34;>Furthermore, the morning before the election, Netanyahu was asked in an<\/span><a href=&#34;https:\/\/www.jpost.com\/Breaking-News\/Netanyahu-tells-Army-Radio-Kiryat-Arba-will-be-annexed-into-Israel-601824&#34; style=&#34;text-decoration:none;&#34;><span style=&#34;font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;&#34;> <\/span><span style=&#34;font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;color:#1155cc;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:underline;-webkit-text-decoration-skip:none;text-decoration-skip-ink:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;&#34;>interview<\/span><\/a><span style=&#34;font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;&#34;> on Army Radio&rsquo;s &lsquo;Good morning Israel&rsquo; if &ldquo;Kiryat Arba and the Jewish community in Hebron will be annexed&rdquo;.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=&#34;ltr&#34; style=&#34;line-height:1.38;margin-top:12pt;margin-bottom:12pt;&#34;><span style=&#34;font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;&#34;>Netanyahu responded &ldquo;Of course. They will be part of Israel. But I need a mandate to execute this plan&rdquo;. He further explained that his annexation plans go hand-in-hand with the Trump administration stating; &ldquo;I said this to Trump, I plan to apply sovereignty on all of the settlements, including in the blocs, and the territory [around it] and all the settlements and the sites that have importance from a security or Israeli heritage perspective&rdquo;.<\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=&#34;ltr&#34; style=&#34;line-height:1.38;margin-top:12pt;margin-bottom:12pt;&#34;><span style=&#34;font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;&#34;>Before this statement, Netanyahu has made several<\/span><a href=&#34;http:\/\/www.palestinemonitor.org\/details.php?id=3v20nca24083ydeej64cbh&#34; style=&#34;text-decoration:none;&#34;><span style=&#34;font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;&#34;> <\/span><span style=&#34;font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;color:#1155cc;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:underline;-webkit-text-decoration-skip:none;text-decoration-skip-ink:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;&#34;>pledges<\/span><\/a><span style=&#34;font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;&#34;> towards his future annexation&rsquo;s plans, which have been widely perceived as a calculated campaign move to win the votes of the far-right electoral base.<\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=&#34;ltr&#34; style=&#34;line-height:1.38;margin-top:12pt;margin-bottom:12pt;&#34;><span style=&#34;font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;&#34;>On the same day, Mahmoud Abbas, President of the Palestinian Authority, released a<\/span><a href=&#34;http:\/\/english.wafa.ps\/page.aspx?id=rJUDgBa111508333233arJUDgB&#34; style=&#34;text-decoration:none;&#34;><span style=&#34;font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;&#34;> <\/span><span style=&#34;font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;color:#1155cc;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:underline;-webkit-text-decoration-skip:none;text-decoration-skip-ink:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;&#34;>statement<\/span><\/a><span style=&#34;font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;&#34;> in reaction to Netanyahu&rsquo;s public speech, stating &ldquo;We have the right to defend our rights and achieve our goals by all available means, regardless of the consequences, as Netanyahu&lsquo;s decisions contradict with United Nations resolutions and international law&rdquo;.<\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=&#34;ltr&#34; style=&#34;line-height:1.38;margin-top:12pt;margin-bottom:12pt;&#34;><span style=&#34;font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;&#34;>Furthermore, repeated annexation plans have caused international outcry and criticism. The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), has issued an<\/span><a href=&#34;https:\/\/www.middleeastmonitor.com\/20190915-oic-emergency-meeting-starts-in-jeddah\/&#34; style=&#34;text-decoration:none;&#34;><span style=&#34;font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;&#34;> <\/span><span style=&#34;font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;color:#1155cc;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:underline;-webkit-text-decoration-skip:none;text-decoration-skip-ink:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;&#34;>emergency meeting<\/span><\/a><span style=&#34;font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;&#34;> in reaction to Netanyahu&rsquo;s latest statements. Yousef Al-Othaimeen, the OIC secretary-general, stated that the OIC would &ldquo;put in place mechanisms to hold Israel accountable for its aggression against the Palestinians&rdquo;.<\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=&#34;ltr&#34; style=&#34;line-height:1.38;margin-top:12pt;margin-bottom:12pt;&#34;><span style=&#34;font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;&#34;>On Wednesday, 11 September, the Russian Foreign Ministry also expressed its concerns about the recent statements made by the Israeli Prime Minister. In a statement, the Ministry stated: &ldquo;We share our concern over such plans of the Israeli leadership, the implementation of which could lead to a sharp escalation of tension in the region and undermine hopes for the establishment of a long-awaited peace between Israel and its Arab neighbour&rdquo;.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/b><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In the shade of the upcoming Israeli elections on Tuesday, 17 September, incumbent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterates his position towards his pledge to annex parts of the West Bank&hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-265","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/palestinemonitor.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/265","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/palestinemonitor.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/palestinemonitor.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/palestinemonitor.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/palestinemonitor.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=265"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/palestinemonitor.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/265\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/palestinemonitor.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=265"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/palestinemonitor.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=265"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/palestinemonitor.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=265"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}