DUBAI: A senior United Arab Emirates official said yesterday that any unilateral move by Israel to annex parts of the occupied West Bank would be a serious setback for the Middle East peace process. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said cabinet discussions would begin on July 1 on his plan to extend Israeli sovereignty to territory Palestinians want for their own state.
"Continued Israeli talk of annexing Palestinian lands must stop," Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash said in a Twitter post. "Any unilateral Israeli move will be a serious setback for the peace process, undermine Palestinian self determination & constitute a rejection of the international & Arab consensus towards stability & peace."
US-allied Gulf Arab states including the UAE have recently appeared to be prioritizing close ties with the United States that are vital to countering Iran over traditional unswerving support for the Palestinians. Gulf states largely voiced support for a peace plan proposed by US President Donald Trump in January for creating a Palestinian state but demilitarized and with borders drawn to meet Israeli security needs, while granting US recognition of Israeli settlements on occupied West Bank land.
The Palestinians have rejected the plan, which diverges from previous US policy and a 2002 Arab League-endorsed initiative that offered Israel normal relations in return for an independent Palestinian state and full Israeli withdrawal from territory captured in the 1967 Middle East war.
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Meanwhile, hundreds of people attended the funeral on Sunday of a Palestinian who was fatally shot by Israeli police in an incident for which Israel's new defense minister later apologized. A police spokesman had said officers killed a Palestinian they suspected was carrying a weapon in Jerusalem's Old City on Saturday, but according to Israeli media, the man was later found to have been unarmed.
Palestinian officials said the 32-year-old man, Iyad Khayri Hallak, suffered mental health issues and decried his killing. In comments at Israel's Sunday cabinet meeting, Defense Minister Benny Gantz said: "We are really sorry about the incident in which Iyad Khayri was shot to death and we share in the family's sorrow - but I am certain this matter will be investigated swiftly and conclusions will be drawn."
He said Israel will make "every effort" to limit casualties while continuing to "maintain the proper level of security". Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not mention the incident in his remarks. Tension has risen in recent weeks with Israel saying it hopes to move ahead with the plan to extend sovereignty to Jewish settlements and the Jordan Valley in the occupied West Bank - land the Palestinians seek for a state.
The Palestinians, Arab states, the United Nations and European states have warned against the move and the Palestinians have declared an end to security cooperation with Israel and its ally, the United States, in protest. – Reuters