Germany, Vatican Voice Condemnation of Israel’s Annexation of Occupied Palestinian Territory

Germany, Vatican Voice Condemnation of Israel’s Annexation of Occupied Palestinian Territory

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu overlooking the Har Homa settlement outside Bethlehem. Before the Israeli settlement was built, to limit the growth of the Palestinian city, the hill was named Jabal Abu Ghneim [Debbie Hill/Pool/Reuters]

Germany and Vatican have expressed their firm rejection of Israel’s threat to annex large parts of Palestinian land in the occupied West Bank, stated Secretary-General of the Palestine Liberation Organization’s (PLO) Executive Committee Saeb Erekat.

Erekat tweeted that he had in-depth talks with Germany’s State Secretary of the Federal Foreign Office Miguel Berger about the aftermaths of President Mahmoud Abbas’ speech on absolving Palestine of all agreements and understandings with the American and Israeli governments and of all ensuing obligations, according to Wafa News Agency.

During his talks, Erekat stressed that the “train of peace is off the track,” while Berger called for ending the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories and implementing the two-state solution based on the pre-1967 borders in line with international law.

The senior PLO official also had an “excellent conversation” with Vatican’s Secretary for Relations with States Archbishop Paul Gallagher, during which both diplomats talked about “the situation of Jerusalem and the importance to advance peace based on international law.”

Both Berger and Gallagher reiterated that Israel’s move to apply Israeli sovereignty over, or in other words to annex, the Jordan Valley and the illegal colonial settlements in the occupied West Bank, is illegal.

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