Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh said the Palestinian leadership and the world were “now facing the moment of truth against Israeli annexation schemes.”
Addressing the UN Palestinian Rights Committee through a virtual interactive conversation, Shtayyeh noted that the Knesset’s adoption of the annexation plan “does not give it any legitimacy.”
“The international community should take measures to confront [the plan] by imposing sanctions on Israel and recognizing the Palestinian state on the 1967 borders, with Jerusalem as its capital,” he underlined.
The premier accused Israel of violating all the joint agreements, stressing that the Palestinian leadership “will not form committees or discuss the Israeli move, but will come out with decisions to confront it.”
The Palestinian Authority “is not a gift from anyone. Rather, it came as a result of the struggles and sacrifices of our people,” Shtayyeh told the conference.
He continued: “We want to switch from an autonomous authority to establishing our independent state on the borders of 1967 with Jerusalem as its capital.”
Israel wants to annex the Palestinian rivers and West Bank settlements, a move that would make impossible the establishment of a Palestinian state and would transform Palestinian cities to cantons.
Shtayyeh warned of “a hot summer” and dire consequences that might result from implementing the plan.
In a statement, the UN committee said it was deeply concerned about Israel’s announced plans to annex large areas of the West Bank, as early as in July 2020.
It added that the Palestinian prime minister gave an update “on the latest developments and outlined the steps the Palestinian Government intends to take to counter annexation and salvage the two-state solution.”
