7 European nations: Ties to be harmed
Guterres: Israel must ‘abandon its plans’
Seven European nations warned on Wednesday that any Israeli annexation steps would harm their ties with the Jewish state.
“Annexation would have consequences for our close relationship with Israel and will not be recognized by us,” French Ambassador to the UN Nicolas de Rivière said in a statement he read out in the name of the seven countries after a United Nations Security Council meeting on the matter.
The statement was supported by five European UNSC members: France, the United Kingdom, Belgium, Germany and Estonia. The two incoming European UNSC members, Ireland and Norway, also signed onto the statement.
De Rivière spoke warmly of the ties between those countries and Israel at present.
“We all currently enjoy a close relationship with Israel and wish to continue working with Israel in a constructive and comprehensive way in the spirit of the long-following friendship that binds us,” he said.
But those ties would not continue if annexation moved forward, de Rivière said.
“If any annexation of the West Bank, however big or small, is implemented, it would constitute a clear violation of international law, including the UN charter as well as the UN Security Council resolutions,” he said.
Annexation would weaken peace efforts and harm the
security of region, including that of Israel, de Rivière said.
The seven countries would not recognize any changes to the pre-1967 borders that were not accepted by both Israelis and Palestinians, he said.
To underscore the seriousness of any Israeli annexation steps, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit made rare