Israeli annexation plan certain to stoke ME tensions: UN envoy

new york — The UN Mideast envoy warned that Israeli moves to annex parts of the West Bank and accelerate settlement expansion, combined with the coronavirus pandemic’s devastating impact, could ignite Israeli-Palestinian conflict and “destroy any hope of peace.”

Nickolay Mladenov told the UN Security Council that annexation would also “constitute a serious violation of international law, deal a devastating blow to the two-state solution, close the door to a renewal of negotiations, and threaten efforts to advance regional peace.”

He urged Israelis and Palestinians to support UN SecretaryGeneral Antonio Guterres’ call for a global ceasefire to all conflicts to tackle the pandemic.

Mladenov, who is the UN special coordinator for the Middle East peace process, expressed hope that opportunities for cooperation between Israel and the Palestinians as a result of the Covid-19 crisis “will not be undermined or destroyed if the political context between Israel

Nickolay Mladenov

UN Mideast envoy

and the Palestinian Authority deteriorates.”

Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian UN ambassador, told the council that cooperation is already being undermined, blaming the threat of annexation.

Earlier this week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his main political rival, Benny Gantz, signed a governing coalition agreement that includes a clause to advance plans to annex parts of the West Bank, including Israeli settlements, starting July 1. —