UN Security Council to discuss Israel’s annexation plan

The UN Security Council is scheduled to convene on 24 June at foreign minister level to discuss Israel’s plan to annex large swathes of the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian Authority’s Observer at the UN, Riyad Mansour, announced yesterday.

Mansour told Voice of Palestine radio that invitations for the meeting were sent out to the foreign ministers of many countries, including the member states of the Non-Aligned Movement and the Arab League. He added that the meeting would most likely be attended by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

The PA official expressed his hope that the Security Council will shoulder its responsibilities and demand the Israeli government to halt all settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian territory and cancel the annexation. All Israeli settlements are illegal under international law.

Talks are underway, explained Mansour, and efforts are being made to push for the formation of an international coalition to thwart the US-backed annexation of the Jordan Valley and the main Israeli settlement blocs.

Meanwhile, the PA’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, Riyad Al-Maliki, said that the leadership has been working hard at the highest levels in order to raise international voices and mobilise a unified position to thwart the annexation plan. The EU foreign ministers will meet with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday in order to discuss the issue, added Al-Maliki.

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