‘Time for condemning is over’: Palestine’s UN envoy demands end to Israeli annexation of Palestinian land

Palestine’s UN envoy Riyad Mansour called for an end to Israel’s illegal annexation of Palestinian land, saying “annexation is an act of war” that “kills all peace efforts” and “cannot be bargained with,” Anadolu reports.

“Israel has decided to entrench its occupation rather than bring it to an end; whether in the Gaza Strip, where it has unlawfully seized control over 70% of the Gaza Strip, or in the West Bank, where it has effectively annexed over 60% of the West Bank and all of East Jerusalem,” Mansour said at the UN Security Council.

He said Israel’s actions are “not only illegal” but also “contrary to President (Donald) Trump’s plan and resolution 2803, which explicitly states there should be no occupation and no annexation,” adding that they aim at “blocking the promised pathway for Palestinian self-determination and independent statehood.”

Mansour warned that Israeli colonial plans in the E1 area amount to “a death penalty for the Palestinian state and the prospect for peace in our region.”

He also said Israel is “dismantling the historic status quo through repeated assaults against the sanctity of the holy site while asserting control over them,” as Palestinian communities continue to be “terrorized by Israeli occupation forces and settlers with constant attacks, the demolition of their homes, their forcible removal from their ancestral land.”

On Israel’s withholding of Palestinian tax revenues, Mansour said the move is “not only illegal and part and parcel of stealing our resources, whether financial or natural,” warning it “aims at the collapse of the PA (Palestinian Authority) and constitutes such a threat to peace and security, given the political, social, and human ramifications and the impact on regional stability.”

He stressed that, despite global opposition, “annexation is underway at a faster pace than ever, more publicly than ever,” with Israel “defying the international community and denying international declarations.”

“Annexation is an act of war. It kills all peace efforts; it cannot be bargained with. It must be stopped,” Mansour said, calling on the international community to act decisively rather than issue further condemnations.

Noting that “the time for condemning and rejecting annexation is over,” he added: “Now is the time to end it once and for all and to choose resolutely the path of Palestinian self-determination and independent statehood and respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the states of the region, including Palestine, Lebanon, and Syria, towards shared security and prosperity in our region.”