British PMs call for sanctions if Netanyahu carries out threat to annex parts of West Bank

The letter, signed by the former Tory chairman Lord Patten and the former international development secretary Andrew Mitchell, says annexation would be clearly illegal under international law, the Guardian reported.

The signatories, which also include diplomats and prominent campaigners against antisemitism in the Labour party such as Margaret Hodge, point out that the UK did not hesitate to sanction Russia after the annexation of Crimea, claiming any move in the West Bank would warrant a similar response.

Netanyahu has negotiated a right to annex parts of the West Bank from 1 July in the coalition deal he signed with Benny Gantz’s Kahol Lavan party, but he is thought to be waiting for approval from the Trump administration before deciding his next move. Trump wants annexation to be seen to be integrated into the peace plan set out by his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, last year.

In a joint statement in September last year by the UK government, together with France, Germany, Italy and Spain, the UK warned any unilateral annexation of any part of the West Bank would be “a serious breach of international law”.

The Islamic Republic of Iran asserts that the recent moves by the Zionist regime to expand settlements and annex parts of the West Bank to the occupied territories violate international laws and that these moves are in line with the implementation of Trump’s disgraceful so-called plan of the ‘Deal of the Century’.

Iran says such illegal actions as a violation of international law and a threat to peace and security in the region, calling on the United Nations and other international bodies to act within the framework of their duties and responsibilities to deal with these moves.

The oppressed people of Palestine are fighting viruses such as occupation, siege, and sanctions at the same time as coronavirus.

MNA/PR