Israeli annexation plan poses 'unprecedented danger to peace' — FM

AMMAN — An Israeli annexation is rejected as a flagrant violation of international law that cannot pass unchecked. If such a move is undertaken, it will send a message that powerful countries are capable of violating the rights of more vulnerable countries across the world, said Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi on Friday.

"The peace that peoples accept must remain an option and a necessity in order to ensure stability in the region,” the minister said, stressing that “for people to accept peace, it must fully ensure the rights of Palestinians".

In statements to Jordan TV’s “Sixty Minutes” programme on Friday, Safadi said that, while his visit to Palestine on Thursday may have been surprising, “there is no surprise in the continuous coordination between Jordan and Palestine”.

He noted that the lands that occupation authorities are planning to annex are situated in the Jordan Valley and within settlements in the West Bank.

This plan has not yet been finalised, he noted, stressing that “in all cases”, the annexation is rejected as an act opposing international legitimacy decisions that the international community “cannot accept”.

“The annexation, even if partial, means separating the north of the West Bank from its south and separating the West Bank from Jerusalem, thus killing the chances for establishing a viable, independent state,” the Foreign minister said.

Safadi continued: “The talk about annexation concerns the Jordan Valley and the Dead Sea in occupied Palestine and there is no involvement in any way of Jordanian lands, as Jordanian lands have internationally recognised borders and face no threat.”

He added: “We are capable of protecting our interests.”

"The United States knows that Jordan has a stable and clear position on the peace process," Safadi affirmed.

"The decision to annex is an unprecedented danger to the peace process that will destroy all the foundations on which it was based and will deprive the people of the region of their right to live in security, peace and stability," Safadi said.

Jordan's efforts are focused on preventing annexation and mobilising support to preempt the implementation of the decision, the minister highlighted.

He continued: “[Jordan’s efforts] also focus on finding real prospects for a return to serious and effective negotiations to realise peace on the basis of the two-state solution, which the majority of the world has agreed is the only way to attain a just and comprehensive peace."