Spain strongly rejects Israeli statements favoring annexation of West Bank
'The International Court of Justice has ruled that the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories is illegal and must end as soon as possible,’ Foreign Ministry says
GENEVA
Spain strongly rejects statements by the Israeli government in favor of Israel’s annexation of the West Bank, the Foreign Ministry said Wednesday.
Annexation by force is contrary to International law, it said in a statement.
"The International Court of Justice has ruled that the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories is illegal and must end as soon as possible," the ministry said, calling the settlements in the occupied territories "totally contrary" to international law.
Settlements “make the two-state solution difficult and are an obstacle to peace," it said.
"These statements are inflammatory and hinder the necessary de-escalation of regional tension," the ministry added.
On Monday, Israel’s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said he instructed Israel’s Settlement Division and Civil Administration to initiate the groundwork for infrastructure to “apply sovereignty” in the West Bank.
Smotrich's call to annex the occupied West Bank has drawn a wave of condemnations across the Arab world.
