Published : 17-06-2020
Palestinian activists and refugees from Syria have joined a vigil held in Amsterdam to protest Israel’s plan to annex larger swaths of occupied Palestinian territory in the West Bank.
The demonstrators yelled slogans and lifted banners condemning the “unilateral move” and calling on the international community to take a firm stance in response.
Earlier this month, the Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Fatou Bensouda, expressed concerns about the annexation plan.
Netanyahu has repeatedly said in recent weeks that Israel will annex approximately 30 per cent of the West Bank with measures coming into place from 1 July.
The West Bank, including East Jerusalem, is seen as occupied territory under international law, thus making all Jewish settlements there -- as well as the planned annexation -- illegal.
Palestinian officials have threatened to abolish bilateral agreements with Israel if it goes ahead with the annexation, which would further undermine the two-state solution.
The annexation comes as part of US President Donald Trump's "Deal of the Century," which was announced on Jan. 28. It refers to Jerusalem as "Israel's unpided capital" and recognizes Israeli sovereignty over large parts of the West Bank
The plan states the establishment of a Palestinian state in the form of an archipelago connected through bridges and tunnels.
Palestinian officials say that under the US plan, Israel will annex 30-40% of the West Bank, including all of East Jerusalem.
PA officials are outraged by Netanyahu's plan to apply Israeli law to about 30% of the West Bank. In response to the move, PA President Mahmoud Abbas announced last month that the PA would no longer be bound to any of the agreements with Israel, including on security issues.
The PA has also taken its battle against the sovereignty plan to the United Nations, seeking official condemnation by the international body against the expansionist move.
Palestinian activists and refugees from Syria have joined a vigil held in Amsterdam to protest Israel’s plan to annex larger swaths of occupied Palestinian territory in the West Bank.
The demonstrators yelled slogans and lifted banners condemning the “unilateral move” and calling on the international community to take a firm stance in response.
Earlier this month, the Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Fatou Bensouda, expressed concerns about the annexation plan.
Netanyahu has repeatedly said in recent weeks that Israel will annex approximately 30 per cent of the West Bank with measures coming into place from 1 July.
The West Bank, including East Jerusalem, is seen as occupied territory under international law, thus making all Jewish settlements there -- as well as the planned annexation -- illegal.
Palestinian officials have threatened to abolish bilateral agreements with Israel if it goes ahead with the annexation, which would further undermine the two-state solution.
The annexation comes as part of US President Donald Trump's "Deal of the Century," which was announced on Jan. 28. It refers to Jerusalem as "Israel's unpided capital" and recognizes Israeli sovereignty over large parts of the West Bank
The plan states the establishment of a Palestinian state in the form of an archipelago connected through bridges and tunnels.
Palestinian officials say that under the US plan, Israel will annex 30-40% of the West Bank, including all of East Jerusalem.
PA officials are outraged by Netanyahu's plan to apply Israeli law to about 30% of the West Bank. In response to the move, PA President Mahmoud Abbas announced last month that the PA would no longer be bound to any of the agreements with Israel, including on security issues.
The PA has also taken its battle against the sovereignty plan to the United Nations, seeking official condemnation by the international body against the expansionist move.
