Israeli annexation a ‘final nail in the Cof

Palestinians in Ramallah demonstrate against Israel’s plan to annex one-third of the West Bank and Jordan Valley.

Ramallah, West Bank - Despite a delay in the long-anticipated declaration of an Israeli plan to annex onethird of the already illegally occupied West Bank, including parts of the strategic Jordan Valley, Palestinians decried the plan with some holding protests in Ramallah and Gaza City. Israel’s Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi said in a radio interview on Wednesday the announcement of the annexation plan was not imminent, despite the July 1 date set by the coalition government to start the fiercely opposed process. He instead told the interviewer to refer further questions about the matter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Still, about 150 Palestinian demonstrators gathered on Wednesday evening in the centre of Ramallah, the seat of the Palestinian Authority, to denounce the plan. They said despite the postponed declaration, annexation was still on the table. Carrying posters and waving Palestinian flags, the crowds chanted antioccupation slogans such as “Down, down with the occupation”, and “We will resist until full liberation. We will not leave.”

Announced in January as US President Donald Trump’s “Middle East plan,” the proposal wants to establish a demilitarised Palestinian state on a patchwork of disjointed Palestinian territories.

This is history repeating itself. The annexation plan is another Nakba [catastrophe] and Naksa [day of setback]. While Israel’s alternate Prime Minister Benny Gantz said last week that annexation should wait until the coronavirus crisis is over, Netanyahu might still go ahead with it.

But Israeli military and intelligence officials have warned the move could cause an uprising in the West Bank, which would be a grave security risk for Israel.

Furthermore, the plan has been met with condemnation by the Palestinian public, their leaders and the global community alike.