European lawmakers protest Israel annexation plans

JERUSALEM: More than a thousand European lawmakers have signed a joint letter protesting Israel's planned annexation of parts of the occupied West Bank, saying such a move would be fatal to hopes for a peaceful resolution of the Israeli-palestinian conflict.

The letter was addressed to European governments and published online Tuesday.

It is part of a growing international outcry against the Trump administration's Mideast plan and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's promise to begin annexing parts of the West Bank that have Israeli settlements, perhaps as early as July 1.

The letter by 1,080 parliamentarians from 25 European countries called for decisive action by European leaders to prevent annexation and to safeguard the prospects of the two-state solution and a just resolution to the conflict. Failure to adequately respond would encourage other states with territorial claims to disregard basic principles of international law, the letter said. If Israel goes ahead, the letter calls for commensurate consequences. Israel's Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to comment.

Israel captured the West Bank in the 1967 Mideast war and in the decades since has built dozens of settlements that are now home to roughly 400,000 Israelis. Most of the international community considers the settlements illegal. The Palestinians seek the territory as part of a future independent state.